Seasonal Oblivion
by nopenopnope
Summary: A series of drabbles and one shots centered around the Marluxia/Vexen or Vexen/Marluxia pairing. All set roughly during their time in Castle Oblivion
1. 411 in 57

It's not yet the fourth where I am...so I'm beating (barely) the 11/4 day...I've been planning on starting a 411 drabble series for a while and never got around to it. I figured this was as good a time as any. This is going to be a series of unrelated drabbles/one-shots centered around the Marluxia/Vexen or Vexen/Marluxia pairing, all set roughly during the their time in Castle Oblivion. They'll be all different ratings, but some will be M so I'm just putting that straight away to be safe.

**Disclaimer** for the remainder of this series: I don't own any of this. No seriously.

And now I'll start you off with some one word prompts.

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4-11 In 57 words

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**Startled** – Vexen had a habit of getting too caught up in his work. And Marluxia had a habit of popping up behind him without warning.

**Gentle** – When Vexen sleeps, Marluxia likes to trace the curve of his lips with one finger.

**Path – **The labs, though neat, are packed with equipment. Still, Marluxia can almost make his way through them with his eyes closed at this point.

**Evidence** –Axel is not pleased to inform Vexen that he's got _something_ in his hair. Because he really just didn't need to see that.

**Wildflower **– It's small and yellow and out of place in his roses, but it's stubborn enough to come back each time he plucks it. And stubbornness always did remind him of Vexen.

**Brick **– As much as Vexen reluctantly enjoyed the spontaneity, he would have appreciated being pressed against a smoother surface.

**Delay** –Vexen often gets wrapped up in his experiments and Marluxia often gets lost in his gardens…so no one is really surprised when they are both late to the meeting. It's the fact that they're together when they finally do show up that's a bit confusing.

**Hidden** – Vexen could probably make a snide comment about closets and how Marluxia has just jumped out of one…but he's more curious as to why Marluxia saw fit to hide in his closet in the first place.

**Asking** – Perhaps if Marluxia said please, Vexen would be more likely to oblige.

**Coal** – If Vexen would be so kind as to put the fire out, Marluxia is more than ready for bed.

**Diamond** – Each droplet of water freezes into a shimmering facet against Vexen's skin and Marluxia is secretly glad that Demyx can't always aim properly.

**Silver** – The little bauble is hidden by blonde hair, but Marluxia knows the piercing is there, fitted snugly against the soft lobe and that he's the one who put it there.

**Triangle** – There are a series of triangles sketched out amongst Vexen's equations. Marluxia gives them a brief looking over before sweeping the lot of papers off of the desk and tossing Vexen down onto it.

**Point** – Vexen shuts the door firmly, leaving a very aroused and very naked Marluxia locked out in the hallway. If they were ever keeping score, Vexen is now winning.

**Chorus** – Vexen mentions that Marluxia is so vain that he almost requires a chorus to follow him around spouting praises. Marluxia replies that he would much prefer a chorus of delighted moans and pleading gasps from Vexen. It would also be much cheaper than hiring a choir.

**Spark** – Axel snaps his fingers and Vexen flinches. Marluxia tells them both to calm down, but they all know who's side he's taking.

**Delicate** – Sometimes Marluxia has the insane urge to rip the soft webbing between Vexen's fingers. He doesn't know why, and the thought disturbs him.

**Want** – It's a constant, potent throbbing, and it's not until it spreads from his groin to his chest that Marluxia wonders just how incapable Nobodies really are of feeling.

**Deliberate** – Vexen tells him to stop and Marluxia watches him for a moment before dropping the beaker anyway.

**Occasion** – Marluxia isn't sure why Vexen chose tonight to wear _that_ to bed, but he's not about to ruin the moment by asking

**Run** – The moment the machine shuts off Marluxia realizes he's somehow ruined the experiment. Vexen turns to stare at him slowly and Marluxia wishes he could remember how to move.

**Chrysalis** – Marluxia stares at the little specimen jar and briefly wishes Vexen would have preserved the damn thing while it was still a larva, capable of devouring his flowers.

**Frequent** – Really, Vexen thought irritably as Marluxia slid himself up his side, wasn't four times enough?

**Forget** – Vexen supposes it would be easier to regain control of everything if he could just set aside how delicious the younger man can be.

**Cupcake** – It's fluffy, pink, and covered in sprinkles. Vexen wasn't sure why it was there, sitting on his desk…but he knows who left it there and he's trying very hard not to smile.

**Grace** – There is nothing graceful about Marluxia at four in the morning, waking up suddenly from a nightmare. Between the drool on his cheek and the comical way his hair sticks out to one side, accenting his wide eyes, the only thing being assassinated is Marluxia's image.

**Certainty** – Vexen tells him that he's being stupid, that he really could and should pick anyone else, but Marluxia's made up his mind and there's no changing it.

**Rummage** – Marluxia probably should mention that the pen Vexen is searching for is right next to his coffee cup, but it's just so much more fun to watch him crawl around on his hands and knees to look for it.

**Mispronunciation** – Marluxia hates that smug look on Vexen's face whenever he tries to read part of the scientist's report out loud. It isn't his fault the majority of the words have more than fifteen letters.

**Hyperventilation** – It would be funnier, learning that Marluxia is afraid of spiders, but he's apparently appointed Vexen as his savior, and that's more annoying than amusing.

**Skittish** – He pets Vexen's hair and the older man flinches. Every time. It makes him wonder what sort of life he lived before they met.

**Deflowered** – Vexen finds it ironic that someone with the promiscuity of Marluxia cannot technically be deflowered.

**Daybreak** – Morning finds them tangled up against each other beneath bed sheets that desperately need to be washed.

**Deadline** – Marluxia likes to make up assignments for them now that he's in charge of them all. He adds insane and impossible deadlines to most of them. Axel's requires him to clean the first floor in five minutes. Vexen's suggests he drop to his knees right this minute because he's got quite a lot of fellatio to perform if he expects to make Marluxia cum eight times in the next hour.

**Bookshelf** – Zexion is not pleased when he finds out what his encyclopedias were subjected to.

**Stimulate** – Vexen takes special delight in teasing Marluxia's nipples with frost tipped fingers.

**Consideration** – Vexen briefly wonders, as Marluxia's snores begin to increase in volume, if he should inform Sora that all he really needs to do to defeat the Lord of Castle Oblivion is sit him down with a bottle or three of good wine.

**Mesmerize **– Vexen's hair shines softly right after he's brushed it out. Marluxia likes to drape it over his face and watch the light filter through until he's disoriented. Vexen lets him because it means that he's quiet.

**Hives** – In addition to flowers, Marluxia also raises bees. Vexen, as it turns out, is allergic to bees. Which he'd have felt worse about if that didn't mean he got to play nurse until the blonde was feeling better.

**Confide** – Larxene wonders just why she's friends with Marluxia after twenty minutes of him describing the delightful sounds Vexen makes as he's screwing him to the wall.

**Belittle** – Marluxia laughs and calls him an old fool because it's what the other two want to hear. But in his mind it almost hurts.

**Stiletto** – Marluxia's ankles are far too feminine, and his choice of footwear for the evening does nothing to take away from that fact. Of course, Vexen's paying more attention to the satin panties and leather corset…

**Fortuneteller** – When Vexen was Even, and considerably younger, he got his fortune told by an old gypsy lady at a fair. She told him that he would fall for a rose haired seductress. She was almost right. Only Marluxia was definitely male, and by fall, she'd probably meant 'in love,' rather than 'as his double crossing lackey ripped him apart'

**Rant** – The best part of Vexen's incessant shouting is that he does eventually tire out and is much easier to nuzzle against when all the fight is gone out of him.

**Flimsy** – They just don't make dining hall tables the way they used to.

**Jealous** – Marluxia has a weakness for green eyes and blonde hair and Vexen is not pleased to find that he's no longer the only one who meets those standards.

**Smug** – Marluxia stumbles over his argument and the little smirk on Vexen's face is so unbearable he wants to rip it off. He'll settle for kissing it violently away though, as that will do less damage.

**Emphasis** – Marluxia spends extra time on the junction between Vexen's neck and shoulder, his fingers massaging firm circles. He says that's where the most stress has built up, but really it's just the place that is most likely to yield satisfied moans.

**Immaculate** – Marluxia takes pride in the stunning white of the Castle's interior. Vexen lets his experiment's scorch marks set in just to spite him.

**Fog **– Marluxia faintly hears himself giving Axel the order, but everything is just so far away

**Indulge** – Vexen is torn between the naked man laying across his bed and the bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream slowly melting on the table. Realizing that he's about to chose the ice cream; Marluxia grabs the bowl and overturns it on his own stomach. Compromise is a beautiful thing.

**Unwilling** – If he ever thought for a moment that Vexen didn't want this…well he probably wouldn't stop either way.

**Rumor** – Roxas didn't quite catch all of what Larxene was whispering to Axel, but the words 'Marluxia,' 'Vexen,' 'top hat,' and 'olive oil' are far more than he really wanted to hear anyway.

**Smuggle** – Marluxia's pockets are full of hazelnut toffee that he sucks on with no real attempt as secrecy despite the fact that he'd taken them from the Superior's office. Vexen declines his offer to share, feeling Xemnas' eyes on them both.

**Spice** – The fact that Vexen can make carrot cake…and make it well…astounds and delights Marluxia

**Tea** – Marluxia never really enjoyed iced tea, and he still doesn't. He likes his tea piping hot in a terra cotta mug nestled between his palms, and his ice lying naked beside him in his bed as he drinks it.

**Notebook** – When he was alive, he wrote every single thought down in the little black book. Now that he's gone, Marluxia carries it in his sleeves and wonders why his own name wasn't in there a single time.

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**Review Please! **


	2. Frozen

See, here's one that's rated M. Just a little drabble with Vexen playing with his element and Marluxia overanalyzing everything to justify letting him do so. The title can have more than one meaning...or it can be a word I just stuck there for lack of a better title. You pick. :)

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Frozen

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Marluxia watched Vexen fume silently in the corner of the room, turning the pages of his book with unnecessary force.

Marluxia supposed he'd done something wrong, but he couldn't be bothered to find out exactly what it was Vexen was angry about. It was a pointless endeavor. Marluxia didn't really care anyway, and by the time he got Vexen to actually tell him what was wrong, the blonde would have probably moved on to something else to be angry about.

Getting him to forget about it though…that could be rewarding.

In one fluid motion, Marluxia pulled himself from his lounging position against his windowsill and moved quietly across the room to the foot of the bed where Vexen was perched in all his affronted glory.

He bent forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Vexen's temple and was predictably swatted away. Unperturbed, he tried again, this time nibbling on the exposed skin of Vexen's neck. When Vexen tilted his head to cut Marluxia off, the younger man used the sudden closeness to his advantage, capturing Vexen's lips.

Perhaps there had been a point in time where this would lead to physical violence…but that time had passed quickly, Marluxia was stronger. Verbal abuse was common, but as of late, Vexen was less inclined to that as well.

It really just didn't do much good, and both of them were tired of it.

Besides…they'd unwittingly come across a far better way for Vexen to vent his frustration with whatever transgression Marluxia's latest careless, self centered nature had brought about.

Marluxia loved knowing how much control he had over the older man, so what happened next surprised Vexen every time it happened…but to Marluxia it was just another form of control.

He'd gotten to the point that he liked to see how much control he could give up while still feeling as though Vexen was the one being manipulated.

Breaking the kiss, Marluxia eased himself backwards onto the bed, arching his head back to leave his neck exposed. Vexen slid down beside him, biting softly at the column of pale skin, his long fingers working deftly at Marluxia's Organization coat.

Marluxia helped to push aside the heavy material, watching with lidded eyes as Vexen dropped the entire thing on the floor beside the bed.

The scientist supposed he should have been annoyed by Marluxia's never ending presumptuousness...he was already naked beneath the coat…but it really did just make things easier, so he continued his ministrations without comment.

Marluxia bit his lip as Vexen trailed his freezing lips down his neck and over one shoulder, grazing his teeth over the tender skin covering his collarbone before looking up.

Marluxia reached out with one hand and combed his fingers through Vexen's hair, mussing it and pulling it messily into the other man's face.

Vexen rolled brilliant green eyes beneath his newly acquired curtain of hair, brushing it back into place as he dipped his head lower, laving his tongue across Marluxia's chest before lifting his head, his fingers leaving icy trails along Marluxia's hips as they traveled upward to press frosty circles against his nipples, twisting around to push both into iced peaks.

Marluxia hissed in delight, arching his back as Vexen's mouth moved back to his face, kissing his nose; then biting at his chin.

Marluxia felt himself going numb, every part of him that Vexen touched was covered in a layer of frost, constantly melting and re freezing, the heat of his skin and Vexen's control over the element battling to keep him frozen.

The change in temperature was soothing…in the disturbing sort of way that hypothermia victims experience before drifting off and never waking again. Vexen had covered his entire chest in ice, had he still had a heart to have a pulse, it would have been considerably slowed at this point. Vexen took advantage of this, digging his nails into Marluxia's hips, hard enough to rip the skin, ice covering the wounds before they could be felt.

He'd started on his legs now, running his tongue over Marluxia's thighs, making his arousal swell painfully; despite the chill setting in all around it…his body had learned by now, how to maintain interest despite being shut down by the cold.

By the time Vexen reached his feet, pausing to suck on each toe individually, Marluxia decided they'd gone far enough. Vexen had started to neglect…as he always did, the maintenance of the ice coating his torso. Marluxia shut his eyes, lamenting briefly the loss of the lovely picture Vexen presented him with…somehow naked himself, though Marluxia hadn't managed to keep track of when exactly Vexen had shed his clothing…but knowing that it was necessary to concentrate for this next part. Ice was melting rapidly along his shoulders, forearms and chest, but it did help to concentrate.

It was probably foolish, the way he got himself out of this. Elementally cliché perhaps, but he found the ice melted away faster if he imagined himself as a plant in spring. Perhaps a willowy little sapling, with flower buds peeking out over the snow, or early spring lilies, vibrant purple heads bursting out of the still freezing ground…and not to be crass, but that imagery was easily supported by his own…purpling head.

Yes, it was definitely time to end Vexen's games.

He flipped the pair of them over, chilly water splashing over them both as the melted coating of ice was sloshed across his chest. Vexen made a grumbling noise of protest, but they'd both known this part was coming, so it wasn't nearly as convincing as it could have been.

Marluxia pulled the blonde man up so that their chests were touching, both nearly blue with the cold…one self induced, the other equally self induced in the allowance of what had led up to this point.

"Did you have fun?" He asked, his voice hoarse, both with want and in an attempt to get his frozen vocal cords to begin functioning properly again.

Vexen remained silent, laying his head to one side in quiet acceptance. Marluxia supposed he should have felt a bit bad about having conditioned the other man to being used to sate Marluxia's considerably more voracious libido…but the small quirk of those thin, pale lips, reminded him that Vexen wasn't exactly suffering either.

Marluxia rubbed himself against Vexen, the friction, more than the body beneath him, helping him to warm himself. It was taking a bit longer than usual…he'd let Vexen get carried away he supposed…but it was a heady sensation, finding himself submerged in Vexen's element…he wasn't too fond of sensory deprivation…but this was somehow different. He could still feel, still hear, still see…it was just muted, his sight made fuzzy by the lack of response in his brain.

But Vexen was almost attractive that way…a hazy glow around his blonde hair, his eyes seeming far too bright and hypnotic to Marluxia's somewhat distorted senses…it was worth the temporary loss of control.

And it wasn't like he was really the one being manipulated…not when it always ended like this…with him pressed down against the slim form beneath him, guiding himself inside of the surprisingly warm entrance, unable to stop the satisfied moans that spilled from his lips. The fact that Vexen also had trouble keeping himself quiet at this point, only added to his fervor. He never did last long after this, his body, having finally regained feeling, seemed overly enthusiastic, but Vexen usually ended up too caught up to realize how little time really passed after his part was complete. Not only did it please him that he could distract Vexen in such a way, Marluxia supposed he'd be teased otherwise…it really was for the best.

He wasn't gentle, it never occurred to either of them for him to be, and there was a resounding slap of skin as he thrust into him, draining himself in more ways than one.

He slumped against Vexen, letting himself go limp. He was content to lay unmoving until Vexen made a small, irritated sound, and shifted uncomfortably beneath him. With a satisfied groan, he rolled over, pulling Vexen to his side.

The older man looked over at him with guarded eyes, his thoughts indecipherable just by looking at his face.

And after all this time, Marluxia knew better than to try and ask.

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Review Please


	3. Consequences

My updating schedule is so very sporadic...ahhh...this one is crack. Seriously. My goodness. Let's also just say, for the sake of the plausibility of the story, that Vexen can make his ice not actually harm anyone. Er...you'll see?

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Consequences

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Marluxia found himself quite suddenly becoming reeducated as to just how vindictive and grudging Vexen could be for someone who cared more about science than his own well being, much less other people.

He his lesson came in the form of some rather unfortunately placed ice.

Unfortunately placed in that it was on his genitals.

Coating them.

And Vexen, being a scientist, knew just how to go about doing such a thing to provide maximum discomfort without destroying Marluxia's reproductive organs completely…because he did occasionally feel the need to put those to use.

Marluxia wasn't frozen solid…though he was still afraid to touch for fear of breaking something…perhaps it was instinct? Instead he was…encased, a nice thick coating of ice frozen solid around his penis, artfully arching it upward in what would have been a painful arch in normal circumstances had it been put into that position by some sort of arousal…now that it was put there against its own volition it was much worse.

Vexen hadn't frozen him completely…so he could still very much feel. And he felt cold. Searing, spiking, anguishing cold right where he wanted it least.

And Vexen didn't halfway do anything. The layer of ice reached down from the base of his penis to encase his testicles as well.

Fucking hell.

Marluxia sat up gingerly, realizing numbly that his head was pounding in addition to…and probably partially because of…the newest addition to his nether regions.

The other cause was also the cause of Vexen's not entirely misplaced punishment. Marluxia vaguely recalled crawling into bed with the blonde in the wee hours of the morning after stumbling drunkenly down two flights of stairs from Larxene's room.

No…he hadn't slept with her…but he had followed her around and slobbered all over her neck for a while…and he doubted Vexen would believe that at that point Marluxia had actually thought she was him…all he'd really been able to make out amidst the wavering blur that had become his vision had been a blob of blonde hair and green somewhere around where the face and eyes should be.

Being Larxene, she'd humored him until her amusement with him calling her Vexen had faded into irritation that the gorgeous idiot actually wasn't the least bit interested in her at all.

Unfortunately, as Marluxia's apparently dismal luck would have it, Vexen had been present for Marluxia's considerably less than sober propositioning and had stormed off in a huff.

Had Marluxia been a bit more aware of…anything…he might have been suspicious of Vexen's acceptance of him when he'd come to bed. In the moment though, having an accommodating Vexen to snuggle against had been all he'd really been after, and he'd passed out blissfully, unconcerned by any consequences that might arise.

Now though…now he was quite concerned.

The pain was making him feel a bit faint.

And Vexen was nowhere to be found, which meant he'd have to look for him to get him to fix this…if Vexen was mad enough to do this, he was probably mad enough to be personally monitoring the ice to make sure it didn't melt.

And he couldn't put any pants on…his penis was sticking straight out.

Well damn.

He stood, shifting from one foot to the other like a small child that badly needs to use the bathroom…only it was a good thing he wasn't…because he couldn't.

Finally, the nauseating discomfort caused him to act. He gingerly pulled on his Organization coat over his naked form and zipped it all the way up.

Oh brilliant, it was still quite obvious that his dick was sticking up…if anyone made any comments…well, he was in need of someone to maim…and Vexen wouldn't do…threatening to do bodily harm to the man who could apparently chose to add on to the ice and break your penis off wasn't a great idea.

Marluxia paled as he exited the room. How had this never occurred to him before? All the times he was horrible to Vexen…and he could just reach out and snap his dick off? Knowing that bastard he'd take everything…and trusting that Vexen liked those parts of him too much to remove them would be stupid…Vexen seemed to enjoy having sex with him…but what if one day he decided causing that sort of devastation would be more rewarding, even in the long run?

It was a completely frazzled and on edge Marluxia that nearly slammed into Lexaeus near the basement entrance. The larger man didn't give him a second glance after apologizing which sent an unreasonably large amount of relief coursing through Marluxia's limbs…now if only it could go further and warm things up a bit…

He thankfully didn't run into Zexion…Axel would have been unbearable…as would have Larxene, but the two of them hated the basement and all its occupants, so they weren't that likely to be there…Vexen was though, and sure enough, he was there, sitting at his favorite lab table, reading over some notes and sipping coffee. He looked up calmly when Marluxia stormed in, his teeth chattering.

Apparently freezing one's genitalia is a sufficient way to chill that person all around. Marluxia had never thought he'd need to know that. He dearly wished he hadn't.

"V-Vexen." He said shakily, trying to regain some of his domineering personality…but it was painfully obvious to both of them who had the upper hand.

"You don't look so well Number Eleven, rough night?" Vexen asked darkly, turning back to his notes.

"Y-you know…normal people…ju-just discuss the-their problems…" Marluxia ground out, horrified to notice that, in Vexen's presence, the ice seem to grow thicker and colder.

Bastard!

It also wasn't good that Vexen wouldn't even refer to him by name…

"W-what do you want? An ap-apology?" Marluxia asked, dismayed at how desperate he sounded.

Vexen raised an eyebrow, not looking back up.

There were no cameras in the labs, Vexen wouldn't allow them…he found it disturbing that before the start of their relationship, Marluxia would watch him work and do inappropriate things in anticipation of the time when he finally initiated a relationship…of course it had never occurred to the younger man that a relationship would not be established.

So no one would see him do this…and…and his sex life was at stake. There were very few things as important as that…to any man…and Marluxia was a particularly sexual creature on top of that.

He hit his knees, laying his head in Vexen's lap.

"I'm _sorry_. I couldn't tell what was going on. I thought she was you, and Larxene's a bitch, she let me believe it, and you were there, why didn't you say something, not that you needed to, I guess I shouldn't have been drinking like that, or I should have tied myself to your wrist or something, and have I mentioned how brilliant you are? And how all I really wanted was to go to bed with you, which is, if you'll remember where I ended up even if I made a complete mess of the process? I said I was sorry, right?"

Vexen was shaking slightly. Part of it was from laughter, the other part was from the sadly tickling sensation of Marluxia mumbling against his thigh.

"How much of that did you actually mean?" He asked finally. Damn him…

"Can I answer you once I'm all one, appropriate temperature?" Marluxia asked from somewhere around his belly button.

"Marluxia."

"Well…I did think it was you. And I did want to go to bed with you."

"And drool all over me, attempt to have sex, but pass out before you could concentrate enough to get your pants off?" Vexen asked dryly. "I noticed, by the way, you didn't mention that 'I'm sorry' was one of the things you meant."

"I only ever wanted to drool all over you." Marluxia said earnestly, evading the second part of the statement.

Vexen rolled his eyes. "Stand up."

Marluxia obeyed hopefully.

Vexen stood as well, unzipping the coat and pushing Marluxia down into his chair.

Marluxia wasn't sure how Vexen went about unfreezing men's genitals…and he found himself unreasonably angry at the thought that Vexen knew anything about that at all…but he stopped caring when Vexen's mercifully warm mouth wrapped itself around the head of his cock, his fingertips pressing snugly against the base of his balls.

The overwhelming relief of realizing that he would be able to climax again at some point in his life…in the very near future even, combined with the always delightful feeling of Vexen's mouth sliding along his length made him far more responsive than he usually liked Vexen to know he was. He found himself writhing eagerly almost instantly, desperate and thankful mewls escaping his lips.

The layer of ice because a puddle of water on the floor, and his chilled flesh became soft, then hard once more, for a completely different reason.

In his sex driven mindset, Marluxia easily forgot the horrible feeling that had existed before and focused himself solely on the pleasure he was being given. His feet shifted and curled, bare against the lab floor. He was falling apart and converging all at the same time…oh and Vexen's tongue…it was rolled expertly over the tip, flattened beautifully against the underside…and…and…now it was gone?

Marluxia gasped in disbelief as Vexen stood up, straightening out his cloak. "You're obviously still in working order." He said, turning to walk away.

"But…but you didn't do anything!" Marluxia gasped, a completely different sort of discomfort…sadly in the same area…making him speak without thinking.

"Excuse me? Would you care to explain that?" Vexen asked, quirking his lips.

"I came in here hard, and I still am!" Marluxia blurted out.

He didn't expect Vexen to laugh, but that was exactly what he did. He actually had the nerve to follow this up by patting Marluxia on the head and walking off.

Marluxia slumped down in the chair…this was not going to be a good day. And the fact that he planned on wheedling sex out of Vexen later on was surprisingly not enough to make it better.

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I should probably be killed for this....review anyway?


	4. Shattered

A quick update just before the holidays?...though technically the holidays started months ago...at least around here. It's madness! I have at least two more of these in store for you all...editing is what's slowing me down, I TRY to do a considerable amount of revising so I don't bombard you all with my typos and nonsense. And finding the time to do that is tough this time of year. My apologies for the wait!

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Shattered

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The moonlight streams through Marluxia's window, illuminating bits and pieces of the man sleeping beside him…a deep sleep, due more to exhaustion than peaceful feelings. He's almost beautiful like this, shadowy dips and illuminated curves, all fitted together at sharp angles, somehow made all the sharper by the light, despite the softening effect it has on everything around him.

Marluxia places his hand against the narrow chest, the place where his heart once was echoing with phantom longing. Once upon a time he'd have been overwhelmed by the sight, by the feeling, by the fragile creature sprawled across his bed, naked and spent, given no other choice but to trust his admittedly treacherous bedmate enough to let himself sleep.

He's so brittle, so breakable, and Marluxia has broken him time and again, in many different ways, mentally, physically, even emotionally he believes, though Vexen isn't willing to admit that that is even possible…but Marluxia has overlooked an important attribute of brittle things.

They do not break in even, smoothed pieces.

He's managed to crush the sleeping man next to him, managed to grind him into the metaphorical ground, which usually takes the far more real shape of his bed, strip him of his pride and even status…when they are alone at least…

But he hasn't gotten away with it entirely.

Brittle things have a habit of breaking into jagged, barbed edges.

And if one is to get close enough to break them effectively, there is little chance that there will not be consequences.

True, if either of them were asked, it would seem as though Marluxia is the triumphant one, though Vexen would probably argue, it would be obvious that even he no longer believes otherwise.

But here, in the quiet of the night, with the object of his misguided, twisted affection now pressed against his side, sweat dampened blonde hair draped over his arms; he's willing to admit that he's not all that sure of the outcome.

He's shattered Vexen, like a fragile formation of ice…thin and transparent and vulnerable.

But he's been wounded in return. Every little piece of the older man, every angry refusal, every bit of broken resolve, each and every intense encounter, pain and pleasure mixed into one…every shard he's broken away from Vexen's self…has been deeply, wickedly embedded into him instead.

Ice, though able to cut when snapped at sharp angles, should melt once inside a warm body.

Marluxia knows this, but he also knows that this isn't the case.

He can feel it all…all the spontaneous demands, the late nights when Vexen would really rather be sleeping as he does actually have work thank you…jabbed razor sharp and frigidly cold inside his very core. And the sensation doesn't melt away, it grows colder and harsher with each time, each meeting.

Two hours ago, he almost lost his arousal as the contemptuous, unwilling, glare he received, after all this time still so defiant, triggered all these little fragments inside him, plunging him into freezing despair.

Vexen had…Vexen had actually looked worried when he'd faltered, the pain in his expression must have been far too obvious…he must have looked like _hell_…

It scared him.

He'd never say so. He'd never even dream of it. But he's not stupid, while he might not be a genius like the scientist, he knows what ice does. It rebuilds itself…it may take years, decades, centuries even, but over time it collects itself back together.

If Marluxia were suddenly to vanish from Vexen's life, the older man, in time, would be able to pull himself back together…to forget him, Marluxia doesn't doubt it. As much as he does to mark him, to break him, to bruise him, to force him to remember…he knows that if given the opportunity, Vexen would forget without a second glance.

And it scares him because he knows he never could. Vexen would put the pieces back in some semblance of order, patch himself up and move on…

But Marluxia is stuck with all these eternally frozen shards, mementos of his own foolishness and cruelty. It makes him sick to know that he could never move on, will never move on.

The fact that Vexen has, maybe hours to live…when they both officially wake up, he'll be heading to find Sora, and Axel, on Marluxia's orders, will be there to stop him…to make sure he doesn't get to move on…does nothing to ease the dread in Marluxia's stomach and chest.

Vexen is going to die, but all these pieces of him will remain, and now that Marluxia's forced them upon himself, he's never going to get rid of them, never going to get rid of _him_.

Though…as he burrows beneath the blankets, pulling the sleeping form tightly to his aching chest for one last suspended embrace…he decides that he probably deserves it.

* * *

Something nice and depressing amongst all this holiday cheer...I promise I didn't plan it that way...D:

Review Please!


	5. 411 in 40

**Before you read: **So this story has had a sudden rush of people putting it on their alerts and favoriting it...but I'm getting less and less reviews?** If you like it enough to favorite it, can't you take a few seconds to let me know what you like about it? REVIEW PLEASE! **I love that you all like this enough to fave and alert it, but reviews mean quite a lot to me. If I know what you like, it might inspire me to write more of what you say you like! ^-^

Anyway, here are some more prompts. I have at least two more drabbles written, I just felt like putting one of these up because I haven't in a while. **  
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411 in 40

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**Neglect **- Vexen could probably spend days at a time in the basement, so focused on his experiments that he forgets everything else. Marluxia doesn't let him, however. He reminds Vexen that he has to eat and sleep, and no, he does not appreciate the insinuation that he's only worried for the sake of the sex they'll be having later. But…but they still are…right?

**Committed** – Figuring out the older man is some sort of impossible combination of a science and an art…but Marluxia is determined to do so.

**Deliver** – Sometimes Marluxia sends a Dusk to Vexen's labs with little messages meant to brighten his day. He's yet to realize that Vexen doesn't find all the borderline illegal things Marluxia wants to do to him to be very comforting.

**Exposed** – Sometimes Marluxia kicks Vexen hard enough to make him fall out of the bed while feigning sleep…because it's just _such_ a nice view…

**Preserved** – Larxene asks if she can turn the labs into a caged arena to pit the remaining experiments against each other once the scientists are eradicated. Marluxia says no, the labs will stay exactly as they are now, and refuses to discuss it further.

**Depressed** – In the winter months, Marluxia seems to literally wilt; even his vibrant pink hair droops and looses color. Vexen would feel worse for him if not for two reasons…one, he's feeling particularly cheerful in comparison and two…it's Marluxia.

**Association** – When Marluxia hands her a drink, Larxene can't help but notice that it's room temperature. She supposes it's too soon for him to fully appreciate an 'ice cold' beverage…Axel did _just_ return after all.

**Fire** – Vexen is a coward, neither of them feel the need to deny or discuss this…but out of all the things he fears, he fears fire the most. He didn't mean to tell Marluxia this…of all the people to tell after all…but once the younger man knew he went very still for a few moments before returning to normal. Months later, as Axel bears down on him, Vexen realizes dully that Marluxia had been planning this for quite a while.

**Anticipation** – Vexen's in the shower and Marluxia is under strict orders not to join him. He said nothing about sitting outside of the bathroom waiting to pounce on him as soon as he walks out though…

**Give** - It never ceases to amaze Vexen when Marluxia is in a generous mood. Tonight he finds a new microscope sitting amongst his piles of paperwork.

**Probability** – There is an eighty-seven percent chance that Marluxia is laying naked in his bed, waiting for him to walk in. There is a seventy-eight percent chance that he's looking forward to it.

**Observation** – Vexen notices that Marluxia is always more willing to let Vexen sleep after just one 'go' if he's been otherwise pleasured earlier in the day.

**Carry** – Marluxia adjusts the unconscious body draped over his shoulder and wonders, as he carts Vexen off to bed, if perhaps he should be more forceful in demanding that Vexen take a break from his experiments every now and then. Leaving him down there until he passes out doesn't sit very well with Marluxia, feelings or not.

**Elemental** – No one ever thinks of flowers when the basic elements are listed. Marluxia is put out by this and he's not encouraged in the least by how smug Vexen seems whenever this comes up in a conversation.

**Inform** – Marluxia does not appreciate Vexen's self-righteous tone as he mentions to the writhing and moaning body beside him that perhaps his stomach would hurt less if he'd stopped eating by the time he'd consumed his body weight in food the second time around? Surely it was the third round that was making him so ill? If Marluxia wasn't aching so badly he'd probably try to hit him.

**Spiral** – Vexen moans softly as Marluxia licks little heated patterns into the layer of frost that Vexen has covered himself with in a futile attempt to stay cool.

**Thirst** – Marluxia sucks greedily at the icicle forming from the tip of Vexen's fingers, his body is still overheated from sex, and every bit of the freezing water his hot mouth pulls from the ice is pure bliss.

**Equality** – Marluxia would give Vexen almost anything…anything he could ever want for the younger man to buy him, any room in the castle, any food or drink he might desire…but there are some things Marluxia just isn't willing to give. Vexen presses his face into the pillow and bites back a gasp, suddenly and brutally reminded of this fact.

**Illustration** – As Namine flips through her coloring book in growing horror, explicit drawing after explicit drawing on every page, she decides that it's not that Marluxia can't draw, it's that he shouldn't. She hasn't really spent much time with Vexen…but after this she's fairly certain she wouldn't be able to manage it.

**Ingredients** – Marluxia is baking. Vexen would probably feel better about his sudden decision to do this if he weren't demanding octopus for the cake he's trying to bake.

**Shout** – For someone who sounds absolutely delicious when whimpering softly, Vexen screams far too often.

**Intercom** – Would Marluxia kindly climb down from Vexen's bookshelf, put his pants back on and report to the Superior?

**Caring **– Marluxia is curled impossibly close to Vexen tonight, as though he fears that he'll slip away if he loosens his grip. Vexen doesn't know what's brought this on or why he seems so clingy, but the childlike expression on his face makes Vexen think that if he could care, then perhaps he just might…just for a moment, until the strange occurrence passes.

**Cheerful** – Marluxia is suspicious every time Vexen is happy for no apparent reason. The last time he got this way larvae had eaten their way through Marluxia's entire lot of tomatoes.

**Forbidden **– There are some thing that Vexen has never been interested in finding inside of himself, and Marluxia is not going to be the person to change that.

**Improvement **– Someone has gagged Marluxia. Vexen supposes it was Larxene and silently compliments the girl on her work, despite their mutual dislike…he could certainly get used to the quiet.

**Ability** – Marluxia doesn't know when in life Vexen ever needed to be able to fit his entire fist in his mouth…but he's not about to complain.

**Incorrect** – Vexen actually laughs at Marluxia's answer. He's torn between being upset that he was wrong and being pleased that he got to hear Vexen genuinely pleased.

**Release** – Marluxia's vision goes white and his body is suddenly radiating so much heat that he's frozen at his very core. Later he'll suppose that it's all quite appropriate.

**Meaningless** – The night before he is killed, Marluxia tells him that he loves him. Vexen's laugh is bitter and both of them wish that it had never been said at all.

**Voluntary **– It's not until he realizes that it's Vexen who's suddenly kissing _him_ that Marluxia wonders if perhaps this is more consensual than the older man wants to admit.

**Clone** – Marluxia remembers, some time in the three hours he's spent sitting on the foot of Vexen's bed since Axel's return…that Vexen does have clones of himself stored away somewhere…he can't bring himself to look for them though.

**Prince** – Marluxia had to have been some sort of royalty in his Somebody's life, Vexen has decided. There is no other way to account for his selfishness and spoiled behaviour.

**Unhelpful** – Vexen supposes most people would find Marluxia's attempt at assisting him despite his complete lack of experience to be adorable…but since he's now splattered with what is most likely the remains of his specimen's liver…

**Fascination** – Vexen's eyes are vivid, poisonous and intoxicating. Marluxia stares into them and is briefly glad that he's never taken up the habit of hallucinatory narcotics…eyes like Vexen's would be far too intense when viewed under the influence of something meant to bring out intensity.

**Introduction **– Vexen is looking for Xemnas, so to be fair, he's fairly preoccupied, but he could have sworn that, as Xigbar and the young man trailing along behind him pass, that someone has just grabbed his ass.

**Irritation** – If Marluxia taps that pencil against the desk _one more time_ Vexen will not be held responsible for his actions.

**Iron **– Vexen feels the cold metal bands click shut around his wrists and wonders what sort of twisted pervert can't settle for the customary handcuffs. Marluxia has him in _shackles_.

**Frown** – The majority of their encounters end with a determined scowl stretched across the blonde's face. Marluxia has come to treasure the few times that he is graced with a smile.

**Plea** – Axel is laughing raucously as he mimics Vexen's last moments for an equally jovial Larxene. Neither of them notice Marluxia as he slips out of the room and makes it halfway to his garden before vomiting all over the pristine white floor of the hall.

* * *

The next one will either be a semi-fluffy light-hearted one, or another slightly manic and depressing one. How about those of you reading decide which I post first? If no one has a preference, I'll pick?

Oh and it's probably sad, but I have no problem imagining Marluxia on acid...it might actually explain some things...

anyway, as I said before, **REVIEW PLEASE**


	6. The Known Unknown

Well, I've taken so long this time because I was going to post the fluffy one first for **Drowning In Ice** but I'm tweaking it again and again because I just can't get it right even though I had it written before I even posted the LAST one...

I think Vexen would be proud of this title. It sounds almost like a variable and really makes not much sense at all. Which is how I tend to pick answers on my science exams...this one makes the least amount of sense...and it sounds sciencey...answer B, I choose you!

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The Known Unknown

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The idea that Nobodies can't feel is simply ridiculous. Marluxia knows this, because Marluxia knows that he can feel.

He is in love with Vexen. He knows this and he's much more willing to trust himself than the ideas of a group of disillusioned scientists, even if one of them is the object of his affections.

Affections he's not supposed to be able to have.

He imagines sometimes, how he would tell Vexen this, should the older man ever ask. It's usually once the blonde has fallen asleep and they lay in Marluxia's bed, side by side but rarely touching, at least not by choice. At least not while there's even the slightest chance that Vexen might wake...

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Tonight it's overcast but dry, the moon occasionally shining into the room through patches of clouds.

Vexen is sleeping on his back, his arms curled above his head, pressing down on the messy mass of blonde hair that sweeps across the pillows, encroaching on Marluxia's side of the bed, even if Vexen himself would not. His lips are slightly parted.

_Do you love me, Marluxia?  
_

_Do I love you Vexen? What a foolish question. Of course I love you, you impossible thing. I love you so very much. I love you so much it hurts **me** to the point of wanting to hurt **you**. I love you so much I want to pull all your hair from your head, clear my bed of it, it's cold you know, I didn't know hair could be cold. It's cold and it wakes me when you move against me in your sleep. I want to pull it out, round it into a cord and slip it 'round your neck. I want to pull until it's __**your**__ lips that turn blue for a change. I want those pretty parted lips to be parted in desperate strangled breaths, not peaceful sleep. I want to watch those damn toxic eyes of yours cloud over and go dull so they can't torture me anymore. Can't disapprove, sneer at, or look down upon me anymore. Why do you get to sleep so soundly while I am forced to lay here and realize how much I want to love you until you're dead?_

But Vexen will not wake and he will not ask. Even if he was not sleeping…if not in peace at least in sound exhaustion…he would not ask. He doesn't believe it could be possible.

* * *

Tonight is hot, they're sleeping above the covers and in Vexen's room as it is usually a bit cooler than the rest of the castle. Vexen is on his stomach, his arms flattened at his sides, his palms up and twitching every now and then. Marluxia runs one finger down the line of his spine and then off along the curve of his right hip. Vexen shifts slightly, mumbling something that neither of them will ever decipher.

_Do you love me Marluxia?_

_Do I love you Vexen? What a needless question. Of course I love you, you proud, foolish man. I love you so much I can't stand you. I love you so much that it infuriates me to be near you. I love you so much I want to dig my fingers into your back and rip away the flesh, I want to cover you with your own blood. I wonder, would it be warm? Or cold like the rest of you? I want to press myself against you then, kiss those wounds, though we'd both know they'll never properly heal. I want to taste you. Not like some harlequin __**vampire**__ book like Larxene reads. Nothing trashy and superficial like that. No, I want to taste you like I've tasted every other part of you, with reverent loathing. And then I want to wrap my hands around your neck, paint your skin red, and then break it. _

The heat makes Vexen sluggish, even when he's not just spent an exhausting two hours catering to Marluxia's sexual whims and Marluxia knows that tonight will be another silent one. Vexen won't ask him. Even if it was freezing he would not. He doesn't believe it could be true.

* * *

Tonight it is raining, pouring buckets and small domesticated animals…or something…Marluxia doesn't really listen closely to what Demyx says most of the time. Vexen is usually surprisingly receptive on rainy night and tonight has been no different. On nights like this Vexen is even willing to sleep on his side, his back pressed snugly and securely to Marluxia's chest. Marluxia is almost feeling too relaxed, sleepy and sated to play his nightly game, but when he runs two tentative fingers over Vexen's cheek, the older man flinches and Marluxia's gaze turns bitter.

_Do you love me Marluxia?_

_Do I love you Vexen? What an utterly stupid question. Of course I love you, you wonderfully maddening creature. I love you so much I can't keep you much longer. I love you so much you've become a danger, not only because of what you've chosen to do my love, but because I almost can't bring myself to do what I know I __**have**__ to and I must never let myself come to that. I love you so much I want you to die in the most horrible way your own deepest fears can conjure. I want you to die, alone, on your knees, humiliated and disrespected. I want you to __**burn**__._

Vexen rolls over, their faces almost touching, but does not wake. Even if he would, Marluxia hopes he won't. He deserves this last rest if nothing else. Besides, he'd never ask anyway. He doesn't believe it could even happen.

_Right?

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_

The morning dawns grey, as mornings here usually do and Vexen wakes slowly and quietly. Marluxia hasn't slept again; he likes to hope that this will be remedied after Vexen…leaves today. But he has the feeling that it will only get worse.

Vexen climbs out of bed and dresses in the same prolonged silence, not even the least bit bashful about his nakedness in the clouded morning sun. Of course, considering the things that they've done in the dark of night, it hardly seems as though a change of lighting would make much of an impact. He's dressed now, his hair neatly in place, his robes in order.

Marluxia usually says something here. Something snide and cocky. Today he is silent and he knows Vexen is confused by it.

"Do you have anything to say?" Vexen asks finally and oh, if he only knew the finality of those words. Do you have anything to say? Anything else for the rest of my life?

"I love you." Marluxia says solemnly, all his extra thoughts, all his death wishes suddenly gone and pointless with the realization that he's about to have them fulfilled. He might as well know the truth. No one would believe it anyway, not even Vexen himself. But still. It's almost a relief to have him know.

But now, now is Vexen's last chance to laugh at him, to scoff and walk out in a huff of indignant glory. Last chance.

Marluxia is ready for it, braced, prepared.

He is not ready for the response he receives though, those two little words that Vexen utters in his usual irritated manner before stalking out.

"I know."

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if you enjoyed...or had any form of emotion attatched to this story at all (if you didn't...can I call you Xemnas?) **PLEASE REVIEW**


	7. Role Reversal

I tend to write far to many mini-mental-Marluxia-monologues. I really like how those four words tied together sadly...but yes, this is another one of those things, Marluxia thinking that is...and then Marluxia falling out of a bed. No seriously. That's pretty much all that happens here...it actually gets rather fluffy at the end, as fluffy as Vexen will allow anyway. After the angst-fest of the last one, maybe this lightens the mood of the entire series...or something? And NO, the title actually has nothing to do with what you might be expecting...

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Role Reversal  


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Marluxia wasn't sure how it had come to this. He propped himself up on his elbows, breathing heavily, his normally comforting bed sheets a heavy, constricting mass across his legs.

Marluxia had made himself known in their little Organization for his cool and collected nature, his aura of authority and his charismatic charm, that, while bordering on if not dipping into insanity, still brought about most anyone he met to his way of thinking. He also prided himself on being one of the more attractive people in the group, making no attempt to hide how important he found his appearance.

Vexen had become known, probably not with his consent, as a completely neurotic, considerably eccentric, quite often hysterical, awkwardly proportioned, head case who stalked about the basements performing experiments that he actually rarely reported on.

So, when he decided that it would be…at the very least…interesting to pursue a physical relationship with Vexen, it never occurred to Marluxia that any of this would change. He would still remain cool, calculated and in control and Vexen would remain twitchy, unwittingly subservient and well…Vexen.

Vexen protested, when did he ever not, but he wasn't as hard to convince as Marluxia had thought he might be. It was, they'd agreed, a purely physical relationship, and as long as Marluxia agreed to keep his mouth shut about it, he'd continue to enjoy the perks of said relationship. That worked just fine for Marluxia, who didn't think that explaining to his other acquaintances his perhaps inexplicable attraction to the older man would go over well.

And at first it seemed to be working out.

Vexen was, despite what the others might think, just as susceptible to his own needs as anyone else, and sometimes Marluxia actually wondered just what he'd been doing before the pink haired man had decided to start this. He found, after a time, that Vexen could even be convinced to try…different…things if Marluxia waited until he'd finished whatever he was working on in his labs.

All in all, Marluxia felt like he had the situation under control.

A placid Marluxia is not a common one, and once lulled into his state of security that Vexen wasn't going anywhere and wasn't going to mess this up for fear of what it would do to his own nonexistent reputation, he began to miss little hints that perhaps he wasn't as in control as he thought he was.

Their encounters, to begin with, began taking place at different times…that being times when Vexen wanted them. Marluxia didn't really notice…because…well the frequency was actually about the same, and he'd already justified waiting for Vexen to be ready with the benefit of Vexen being in a more agreeable mood.

His behavior he simply was too busy to notice. It was hard to tell that his infamous composure was slipping when he had a surprisingly limber body straddling his stomach and bending in the most exquisite ways to do unspeakable things with his tongue. Whose breathing wouldn't speed up, whose nerves wouldn't spark and jump, leaving him with a pink tint to match his hair by the end of their encounters, often breathless and speechless. Vexen wasn't one for talking anyway, so Marluxia never chalked his own silence up to being overcome while Vexen retained his cool.

With behavior went his coordination, but this really seemed to apply only to when they were actually having sex, and if Vexen found his movements becoming overly passionate and frenzied, he never clued Marluxia in.

He was sickeningly polite all the time to everyone, whether he meant it or not…so how was he supposed to realize that he was slowly becoming more sincere around Vexen, his veiled threats less sinister, his subtle barbs often too subtle to escape his own mental monologues…it was all just too easy to miss…

…especially if he were somehow subconsciously protecting himself from reality.

But reality has a nasty habit of making itself known, and it was almost brutal in this instance…this instance being where he found himself now, on the floor, with Vexen's hair hanging down across his back as the scientist leaned off of the bed to see what had happened to him.

"Vexen?" Marluxia asked, soundly oddly subdued.

"Yes Marluxia?" Vexen asked politely, the barest hint of a pant behind his words…they had just been very _active_ after all…

"Did I just…did I just fall…off of the bed?" Marluxia asked slowly.

"I believe you did, Marluxia." Vexen said, and Marluxia didn't have to look up to see the smirk on Vexen's face but he did anyway.

And annoyingly enough, he couldn't really be mad about it. He was still a bit stunned…one moment he was quite enthusiastically going about his part in all of this and the next moment he found himself not only completely free of Vexen, but airborne, followed by a probably bruising collision with his mercifully carpeted floor.

Vexen held out one pale hand and Marluxia took it, letting the older man pulling him back into the bed.

Vexen made a rather nice show of fussing over him…seeing as it was Vexen and all…even going so far as to situate him comfortably on the pillows and run an icy hand over the carpet burn on his stomach and press freezing lips to the newly forming bruise on his cheek.

"I'm not sure how that happened." Marluxia said, feeling as though something much greater had been tilted to one side, not just his physical self.

"I'm sure it just happens sometimes." Vexen said placidly, lying on his side, his hand rubbing soothing circles on Marluxia's stomach. "Just cool down and go to sleep. I have an early start to make tomorrow anyway, it's probably best that we don't stay awake all hours of the night."

It wasn't until Marluxia found himself blankly agreeing that he snapped out of his awe at how utterly _ungraceful_ he'd been…and realized with growing horror what had been a long time coming.

"Vexen." He said softly and the scientist made an annoyed noise, apparently already trying to sleep.

"Vexen, when we started…this…would you say that I was basically the one to do so?"

"I would."

"I was the one who decided how it would go and when and where and what and that sort of thing…" Marluxia said uneasily.

"You were."

"And now?"

There was a silence and Marluxia turned his head to look at Vexen. His green eyes were still shut, but there was a wry smile twisting his lips.

Of _course_ he'd noticed…

"No, Marluxia, I can't say that you are."

"When was the last time I actually had a say in this relationship at all?" Marluxia asked, amazed to find himself resigning to the knowledge even as it presented itself…though apparently he'd resigned himself long ago and was just now realizing it.

"About a month ago?" Vexen asked, still not bothering to open his eyes. "You were too tired by the time I'd finished working on my experiment to really do anything, so you said we'd do something another night."

Marluxia blanched.

"So…so I'm _you_." He said, eyes widening in the dark.

"Well that's not really a polite way of putting it." Vexen said, though he sounded more amused than annoyed.

Amused…wasn't Marluxia the one who was constantly amused by Vexen?

No…apparently not.

"If it makes you feel any better…everyone still thinks it's the other way around." Vexen said tiredly.

Marluxia turned his head back to Vexen sharply, only just realizing he'd turned it away in the first place.

"Nobody knows…"

"_Everybody_ knows." Vexen corrected, shrugging his shoulders once. "We aren't as secretive as we'd suspected."

"And…and you've known this and you didn't bother to mention it to me? And by mention I mean scream at me for hours and hours on end about how this has completely _ruined_ you and then refuse to sleep with me?

"I considered it." Vexen mused. "But quite frankly you're easier to boss around when you're in a good mood."

Marluxia's jaw dropped, causing him to hiss in pain as he stretched his sore cheek.

That was…that was the exact mentality that he'd applied to Vexen when this had all begun. And to have it stated so matter of factly…

"So where does this leave us?" Marluxia asked softly.

"Leave us? Exactly where we were ten minutes ago before you took your acrobatic flight over the side of the bed." Vexen said flatly. "Nothing has really changed."

"But everything has changed!" Marluxia argued.

"No…I think perhaps it always was like this." Vexen argued mildly. "It just took some time to surface. Time and…well maybe just time."

"Time _and_?" Marluxia pressed.

"Time and…maybe I don't dislike you as much as I used to." Vexen admitted, almost sounding grudging enough to be the Vexen Marluxia was used to.

"You _like_ me?" Marluxia asked in amazement, not even realizing how childish he sounded.

"Well when you say it like that it makes me want to say no." Vexen snapped.

"But…but it doesn't actually make you say no." Marluxia reasoned triumphantly.

"Fair enough." Vexen said, leaning over to kiss Marluxia's cheek before rolling over. "Now I really am going to sleep."

"Of course." Marluxia said softly, shutting his eyes, unable to completely force away the stupid smile that formed on his lips. "I like you too by the way."

"Shut up, Marluxia."

"Up yours, Vexen."

"Later, I'm tired."

Well…it wasn't like _everything_ had changed…maybe this wasn't actually that bad of a way to go about things anyway. After all…it was apparently the way things were anyway…Marluxia rolled over, pressing his stomach to Vexen's back, earning himself an aggravated grumble.

"Be colder, my stomach still hurts." He whispered, laying his head on Vexen's shoulder.

Vexen complied and Marluxia drifted off, deciding that yes, this was going to be okay…as long as…as long as everyone else still thought otherwise…

* * *

Okay, so actually it was Marluxia falling out of a bed _then_ thinking...for those of you who like my angst better, I guarantee that that is never too far away.

**Review Please**


	8. Eating Habits

Now something in Larxene's perspective...no really, it IS 411...I have another 411-ish thing written in her perspective actually, but you get this vague thing first...and then probably some angst because I have one of those waiting and I feel odd going too terribly long without some in this particular fandom and then...who knows? Enjoy!...hopefully.

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Eating Habits

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The kitchen of Castle Oblivion is lavish and expensive…like anything Marluxia gets his hands on early on in the planning. The counter tops and sink basins are all white and grey marble. The steel grey of the stainless steel appliances and white of the room…like any room in the castle…compliments it with simple elegance.

And normally it compliments the castle's owner as well. Marluxia makes it a point to be refined, immaculate and poised. His clothes are always neat and clean, he keeps himself impeccably groomed, and his hair, though vibrant and quite large all the way around, is meticulously combed into that fashion.

Normally.

After four in the morning though, the wear of the day has taken its toll. His sleek black coat is traded for a pair of drawstring pajama pants. He's usually, at this point, managed a few hours of sleep, so his hair sticks up at odd angles and his mouth feels sand papery and doesn't taste all that wonderful.

At four seventeen in the morning, Marluxia looks small and disheveled in the soft light of the open refrigerator, shadows accentuating his face and making him look almost human.

Larxene watches in quiet confusion as he fishes through a crisper drawer for lettuce and tomato and then into another for sandwich meat and cheese. He sets them on the polished marble countertop, going back for condiments before padding over to the bread basket to pull out two slices and then a drawer for a knife.

He hasn't seen her, and she wonders how awake he actually is as he sets about making a rather delicious looking sandwich, his eyes barely open. He sets the ingredients back into their proper places with a practiced speed, shutting the door and picking up the napkin the sandwich is sitting on before wandering out.

Curiosity taking over, Larxene follows him down two halls and three flights of stairs to the basement, wondering if he's forgotten, in his sleepy state, how to use a proper portal.

He slips into the labs and presses himself against a far wall. His lips are moving softly and she can almost make out numbers. He's counting. Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve…twelve is it, he's moving again.

She wonders briefly if he's planning on eating the sandwich here…and now she's wondering what strange sort of quirk that is.

But he isn't eating the sandwich at all. He's setting it on one of the counters, amidst an untidy pile of paperwork. He runs a finger over the corner of one page before turning and wandering out.

Larxene considers following him, but she's more curious about the sandwich than Marluxia himself. Remaining in the shadows, she waits for a few moments before her questions are answered…almost.

Vexen comes walking back from the other side of the lab. He looks down with a sort of resigned sigh, prodding at the sandwich with one long finger before picking it up and biting into it as he sits back down to bury himself in his work once more.

The next morning, looking at a freshly showered and pampered Marluxia, Larxene's lips quirk into a smirk. "Morning sunshine. What do you want for breakfast? I made some French toast for me, but maybe you'd like something different? Waffles? Pancakes? A sandwich maybe?"

Something in her tone makes Marluxia pause. He narrows his eyes, more defensive than angry. "He never eats." He says, knowing that there's no point in playing cat and mouse with any of this. Larxene's going to tease him mercilessly, she might as well know why. "He holes himself up in that lab for days on end. He's going to fade away and…and I'll get blamed…or something…"

It's a lame excuse but she lets him have it.

"Why do you sneak around though? Why not just bring him one before you go to sleep? That way you aren't zombified all over the castle, that was scary as hell by the way, I saw eye gunk." Larxene shudders.

"Do you really think he'd eat anything I gave him?" Marluxia asks, and while she's got hours worth of taunting stored away in her mind, the look his gives her is, beneath his normal haughty expression, almost sorrowful. It's almost like he wishes that Vexen would accept something from him…as little as he might be willing to give.

And it's strange enough to make her wait, at least until after breakfast.

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I hear Marluxia makes a mean Monte Cristo...

**Review Please**...no really. I don't bite my reviewers...unless they want me to...?


	9. Matter Of Time

**Kinda worried that no one is reading this anymore...but I'm updating anyway. We'll see I suppose? **I try not to post angst when I'm feeling angsty because I'm odd like that...so this is just...something.**  
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Matter of Time

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It's all just a matter of time.

There is a timer sitting beside the experiment on the examination table. It's set to go off in ten minutes and forty-five seconds. Marluxia notes this and turns to stare at the man crouched beside it, scribbling in his notebook.

Ten minutes and twenty-two seconds.

When the timer goes off, Vexen will, because he always does, immediately move the experiment…this time it's a series of tubes interlocked and filled with brightly colored liquid…from the examination table to the counter beside it to let it settle. Marluxia will just have to be patient until then. Marluxia hates being patient.

Nine minutes and four seconds.

Vexen's hair is pulled back…he almost never pulls his hair back. Marluxia wonders what the change is all about, at the same time wanting to reach out and pull the tie away and run his fingers forcefully through the blonde strands. He can see the scientist glare at him every now and then out of the corner of his eyes. Marluxia doesn't ever ask for permission to be here and he never gives a reason either…though he hopes that by now the reason should always be obvious.

Eight minutes and eighteen seconds.

He's tempted to move now, but he knows how Vexen gets if something he's working on is ruined…especially if the something ruining the something he's working on is Marluxia. Marluxia blinks, replaying his last thought over in his mind. Something, something, something…too many somethings…he likes to hope he's intelligent enough for a decent vocabulary…he decides to blame Vexen for distracting him.

Seven minutes and nine seconds.

Vexen's got ink smudged on his fingers. Marluxia is normally very strict about cleanliness. It disturbs him whenever something is messy or out of place. Somehow though, this is just endearing…as endearing as anything someone as grumpy and unreachable as Vexen can do at least.

Six minutes and thirty seconds.

Vexen glares at him again and Marluxia gives him a cheeky wave of his fingers. No Vexen, he's not planning on leaving any time soon. And no, scowling like that isn't going to make him decide to.

Five minutes and forty-eight seconds.

Zexion walks in, carrying a stack of papers. He stops to give Marluxia a look which is both questioning and uninterested at once. It's also considerably disdainful and Marluxia is annoyed but says nothing. He wouldn't call Zexion and Vexen friends, but he knows that Vexen would rather defend Zexion than Marluxia. Which is a shame considering…

Four minutes and twenty-nine seconds.

Zexion is still standing next to Vexen, going over some papers in quick, mumbling conversation. Marluxia attempted to eavesdrop for a few moments, but found that he didn't really understand any of what was being said anyway.

Three minutes and eleven seconds.

Marluxia doesn't know what could be so damn interesting about what they're looking at anyway. They've got that look…the one Larxene gets when she's received some shiny new toy, or a new victim to play with…it's obviously something interesting…to about point two percent of the population…

Two minutes and two seconds.

Zexion really needs to leave. _Really._

One minutes and fifteen seconds.

Zexion's finally gone and Marluxia bites back a relieved sigh. Time's almost up…he isn't sure what he'd have done if Zexion had still been there when the timer went off. Marluxia has convinced himself to wait that allotted time…and that's all…

Forty-three seconds.

Marluxia shifts impatiently. As if knowing what's coming, Vexen sits up and sets his papers aside. The timer rings and he picks the tray holding the experiment up, setting it on the counter, just as he always does. He waits.

Three, two seconds…one…

Marluxia pounces, wrapping all four limbs around Vexen as he careens them both into the examination table, dragging them up onto it. He straddles Vexen's hips with a devilish grin and Vexen sighs. There's nothing in the experiment tubes but brightly colored water…he just really had to get some work done before Marluxia's inevitable interruption. He looks up in time for Marluxia to bite softly on his neck.

It was all just a matter of time.

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** REVIEW please. **


	10. Touch

Something broody...and hey, it's in Vexen's point of view. Perhaps similar to Marluxia's creepy watching Vexen in his sleep drabble a few chapters back...because I was actually pondering that one in my head when I got the inspiration for this one. Ah well, we'll see.

Also, I have **a request for anyone reading**, if you feel so inclined. I'd love to have you suggest the words that I use as part of my next word-drabble collection. Anyone interested? Get creative, or get random, just string some words out for me in a review or PM and I'll try to work them in? I thought it would be fun to try and do one like that.

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Touch

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Vexen traces his fingers over the slight bow of Marluxia's lips, amazed once more at how deeply Marluxia seems capable of sleeping when Vexen touches him in this way. He can run his fingers down his side, place kisses to his chest, even nibble on his shoulder without the younger man stirring. As long as his touches are sensual Marluxia will sleep like an infant, perfectly still and something bordering on content.

Anything else will trigger his fighting nature; an accidental push to his side for example…Vexen has learned this the hard way. Still…he wonders, considering Marluxia's most likely promiscuous nature, if no one has ever tried to kill him in this manner, touching him sweetly until the last moment...

…moving closer and closer as he slept, his rosy hair framing his face, almost soft and innocent in the dim light of the moon…what a lie _that_ was…

Morbidly curious, Vexen shifts a bit closer, rubbing Marluxia's side slowly, sliding his thumb over the curve of Marluxia's hip. The smaller man's lips quirk in his sleep and he makes a small sound of approval before sighing and settling back into a deeper sleep.

Emboldened by the reaction, Vexen moves closer still, grazing one nipple with his fingernails while giving Marluxia's shoulder an open mouthed kiss. After a few more careful touches Marluxia shows no signs of waking, though he does seem to be becoming aroused. Vexen supposes he should be amused by that, but he's far too tense in comparison, still half curious and half contemplating.

Marluxia would deserve this. Not just to die, but to die in such a way. To be killed by Vexen. Marluxia has probably never considered it. Vexen is something to be taken for granted. When he couldn't be trusted to be useful as a scientist…these are Marluxia's words, not Vexen's, Vexen would be willing to argue bitterly against them…he became useful to Marluxia in other ways. Vexen could be trusted to always give an honest opinion to any idea or question Marluxia presented to him. His words are honest, if cruel and Marluxia claims to find them refreshing. He had never tried to please Marluxia and he still has not, even now that they share a bed on most nights. Of course, that's yet another way Marluxia claims he is useful. He admitted once, that he finds Vexen irresistible, though he isn't sure why. Vexen sometimes wishes that there were a way to use that to his advantage, but he hasn't managed to figure out how. Marluxia won't give him special treatment, extra funds for his experiments, or even take his suggestions into consideration, whether in governing Oblivion or in bed.

But perhaps this? Perhaps this is his advantage? Being allowed this close, being allowed close enough to make Marluxia pay for all the horrible things he's ever done to him?

Would Marluxia wake? Vexen isn't physically stronger, but it would only taken seconds to freeze and shatter the slim column of his neck should Vexen place his hands correctly. He presses a kiss to Marluxia's Adam's apple, feeling a small, sleepy laugh bubble up in Marluxia's throat, though it never sounds past the slight vibration.

If only everyone could know that the feared and vicious assassin was ticklish…Vexen has never even considered telling anyone though, it wouldn't be worth the hell Marluxia would put him through, and there was a good chance no one would even believe him.

That and he'd have to explain how he knew that in the first place…

Vexen slides his hands up Marluxia's arms, massaging his shoulders for a few moments, working up the courage to move them up further, his fingers pressing against the base of Marluxia's neck ever so gently, slowly growing colder with each passing moment even as he places light kisses across his jaw.

A shiver goes through Marluxia as the cold begins to seep through him, his throat working thickly as the cells inside of him begin to swell. Vexen is shaking as well, but not from cold as much as terror, both wonderful and horrible at the same time. He's still kissing and Marluxia is still trusting in his slumber, the soft touches working like some sort of sleep-inducing narcotic.

Marluxia's lips are turning blue and his erection has flagged, but Vexen hasn't yet worked up the courage to pinpoint his power to Marluxia's neck alone. He's shivering and the small noises he makes are less pleasant. Vexen doubts it's his touch that's keeping the assassin asleep now; it's probably the numbing effect of his ice.

"Vexen." Marluxia whispers hoarsely and his eyelids flutter, not quite opening. He sounds so young and in that moment Vexen feels far older than he actually is.

Marluxia deserves this. Marluxia deserves _worse_, but Vexen can't bring himself to do it. He moves his hands, draping himself over the smaller man and pulling the cold back into his core, warming Marluxia somewhat.

Marluxia opens his eyes. "What were you doing?" he asks thickly, blinking blearily. "You're too cold."

"I was having a dream." Vexen says vaguely, petting Marluxia's hair back from his face in a gesture that is so unfamiliar to a conscious Marluxia, that it subdues him somewhat.

"A nightmare?" Marluxia croaks, pulling the blankets back up over both of them and hugging Vexen close. Vexen could be surprisingly warm in times like this, when he was holding his element back on purpose.

Vexen frowns thoughtfully, resting himself against Marluxia's chest, suddenly exhausted. "I'm not sure." He says finally. "It might have been a nightmare. Or it might have been a very nice dream…it didn't finish."

Marluxia hums, not really responding. "Try not to have any more dreams that might kill me." He says, and if he'd only known just what had been going through Vexen's mind, perhaps he wouldn't have been joking.

Vexen says nothing in response, but places the experience neatly in the back of his mind. Perhaps one day he'll have reason to use it.

But tonight…tonight he is far too tired and Marluxia is far too comfortable, hell he's almost bearable in this half-sleeping state. Vexen sighs, shutting his own eyes even as Marluxia is falling asleep once more.

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No, I don't think canon!Marluxia woudl be able to sleep through all that. That's why this is a fanfic drabble and not a KH cutscene.

**REVIEW PLEASE!** (and give me some word prompts if you feel so inclined/inspired)


	11. Communication

I'm back...with...crack. Seriously, that's all this is. I have a great amount of respect for Marluxia, this was meant to be FUN. With that in mind, I'll be upset if I get someone whining at me that I've bastardized his character in this because um...I'm telling you now. CRACK = OOC

That is all, enjoy please!

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Communication

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"What do you even see in him?" Zexion asked dryly, picking up a long stemmed rose between his thumb and forefinger and placing it gingerly in the trash as though it might infect him with something. Vexen placidly ignored him…trying to explain something like this to Zexion was impossible. Trying to explain something like this to himself was actually proving to be equally impossible for that matter.

It wasn't often that Marluxia was given missions outside of the basic running of Castle Oblivion so when he did have to leave, he deemed it necessary to leave Vexen little mementos to make sure the blonde didn't somehow forget him in the few weeks that he'd be gone.

As if that were possible.

Vexen supposed that it might have been something bordering on sweet had it just been a few things, but after finding himself covered in rose petals four mornings in a row…apparently Marluxia had instructed a few of his plants to grow their way into his room and cover him while he slept and dammit he couldn't figure out how to _stop_ them…and finding a veritable field of wild flowers across his workspace...he decided it was bordering less on sweet and more on psychotic.

But then…that pretty much summed up Marluxia.

"He's annoying for one thing." Zexion said; brushing some lilacs into a dust pan…why was Zexion here again? He hated cleaning, Vexen knew for a fact that Lexaeus did all of Zexion's chores as well as his own…"Presumptuous, overbearing, conceited…"

"And you aren't." Vexen mumbled.

"I _heard_ that." Zexion said, rolling his eyes, neither of them acknowledging that Vexen didn't really _care_ if he heard.

"And he's basically an _idiot_." Zexion continued. "I mean…he's a bit smarter than Axel, granted, but really, he's hardly scholarly material, how do you even _communicate_…"

"Say Zexion, there's some poison ivy over here, could you get it for me?" Vexen asked dryly, effectively shutting down whatever sort of quasi-helpful mood the smaller man was in.

In the silence that remained after Zexion's departure Vexen scowled at his desk, a bit affronted that Zexion would accuse him of wasting his time with someone who wasn't intellectually worth the effort. He wasn't as smart as Vexen himself of course…but all of the original members of the Organization were geniuses…even Xigbar though Vexen very rarely saw proof of that…Marluxia was smart…enough…

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A few weeks later found Vexen sprawled across his bed, notebook open in front of him. He scribbled a few illegible notes down, ignoring Marluxia's footsteps as the younger man came up to the side of the bed and slid himself down onto it, draping his hair across Vexen's back and pressing his chin to Vexen's shoulder.

"Did you miss me?" He purred, running a finger down one pale cheek, twisting it around to trace the slight curve of Vexen's lips before pulling away.

"Of course." Vexen said blandly. "I could hardly force myself to go on, each second seemed like a lifetime, and I feared that I would wither away into completely nonexistence, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, my work seemed meaningless…can I stop now, or are you enjoying this?" He tilted his head to stare expressionlessly at Marluxia once he'd coaxed an amused and oddly endearing snort from him. "I actually got quite a lot done."

"Like what?" Marluxia asked, shifting to relax against him, his hands moving to massage Vexen's shoulders in a surprisingly gentle fashion…he obviously wasn't completely certain that he was going to be getting anything from Vexen tonight and after nearly a month without him, he was apparently choosing to play it safe.

"Well, I think I've finally gotten the chemical make up of the synthetic cells I've been working on right. I'm going to be able to use them to modify some of the weaker Heartless…" He paused, looking back at Marluxia who was nodding and seemingly following him.

_Ha. Zexion was just being a bastard, he's plenty smart enough._

"Oh, and I've been teaching myself Mandarin." He said thoughtfully.

Marluxia stared blankly at him. "But Vexen, there's no point to that." He said, looking as though he was breaking bad news…he even had the audacity to pat Vexen's head. "You can't get a word in edgewise with mandarins, any citrus really, and they're all very clique-y anyway, you'd have been better off with olive or a fern…"

…

…well…he was…he was…_pretty_…that counted for something right?

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Honest mistake right? I mean, the man DOES talk to plants...in my mind anyway.

**REVIEW PLEASE**


	12. Feel

I'm not sure this really goes anywhere or concludes at all. It's a drabble at its most drabbley-est. From Vexen's point of view again, I've been trying to write more from his point of view since I do a lot with Marluxia without really planning it that way.

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Feel

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Before Vexen had lost his heart…before he'd really been Vexen at all really…he'd felt a great many things.

Even was a nervous person by nature, anxiety was something he'd felt almost constantly as a Somebody. It could be almost crippling at times, and he'd actually been pleased to find that while he hadn't lost it completely…anything that could be caused by something other than emotions tended to stick around…it didn't affect him quite as much as it used to.

Even was a fearful person by nature as well, especially of those he knew were more powerful than he was…fear, he'd decided, was more instinctual than it was emotional.

He still had quite a lot of fear. Fear was what had gotten him into the mess he was in now. Fear of Xemnas's wrath…fear of Marluxia's reckless youth and fear that his promises to harm him were not carelessly made…

Fear of…things he would rather not understand completely.

Even had, often times felt alone. Xenohart and Dilan both tended to keep to themselves, Braig was impossible to talk to without being constantly insulted…Aeleus and Ienzo were constantly together and Even had never been sure if he'd really wanted his suspicions about just _how_ together confirmed.

Because of that he'd been very much so alone, even when interacting with the others. He liked to tell himself he preferred it, but the overwhelming freedom that came from no longer being concerned with it when he became Vexen made it more obvious than he would have liked that it actually had bothered him.

Despite having told himself he preferred being isolated, Even had, on the rare occasion felt attraction beyond that of occasionally unavoidable arousal that came with being male and a young man at the time, usually just a glimmer of something, easily quashed and forgotten. Nothing ever came of these particular feelings and they were also ones he decided he was glad that he no longer had.

Lust though, lust was not an emotion and Vexen was still capable of it. Perhaps more so in the absence of the things that had previously cluttered his senses.

That he was not pleased about. Lust was just as capable as fear when it came to getting him into trouble.

Though this time it had less to do with Xemnas.

He couldn't help but wish it had a bit less to do with Marluxia though.

He knows that there are certain things he has in fact stopped feeling for certain…joy in his scientific discoveries for example. There's a sort of smug shadow of the exuberance he used to display whenever he successfully completes something, but the delight he used to find in his work is gone.

He cannot properly feel sadness either, though it does have the habit of echoing in his memories on particularly bleak times, such as this one. He should have slept hours ago, even if he hasn't done so properly in years. He should have slept simply to keep himself from doing this. From thinking so intently on Xemnas' belief that their emotions are truly gone. By all means, he should be exhausted. He's managed to wear out the younger man curled next to him thoroughly enough that he lost all concern for keeping up appearances and is now snoring quietly against Vexen's side, his mouth hanging open, a little puddle of drool collecting on his pillow.

How attractive…he mumbles every now and then as well, a sated smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth.

If only lust would remain and not come and go and waves, perhaps he would not be so acutely aware that repulsion apparently has nothing to do with having a heart either. Whenever they come to this, it's happening more frequently now that Marluxia has something to hold against him, initially there is no remorse, as loathe as he is to admit it. Marluxia feels wonderful when he's actually enjoying himself and as much as he despises the man in the light of day, he's almost bearable when his selfish actions are providing Vexen just as much benefit as himself.

After though, when Marluxia feels no need to speak…it's almost worse when he wants to, once the moment has passed Vexen really doesn't want to hear from him at all…Vexen is left to his thoughts and his slanted notes written in tiny, concise letters across pages and pages of whichever worn notebook he's carried into the bedroom with him that particular night.

He hates times like this.

And hate…hate is most certainly something that can be felt. Hate is something that a lack of a heart amplifies, not mutes. It has replaced almost everything else he used to feel with any real sort of consistency and at times like this…times when it's so strong he can literally feel bile rise up in his throat and he has to turn away from the slumbering form beside him to keep him from mashing his hand into his pretty, lying face and making him bleed just to alleviate his own suffering…that he desperately misses his crippling anxiety, his naïve insecurities, his sullen loneliness…even those desperate fleeting moments of aching want for the companionship of another living, loving human being.

Anything would be better than what's been left for him.

Were Vexen left to wallow in his own thoughts and miseries in times like this, it is entirely possible that the Darkness would swallow him whole, finally taking the rest of what it had staked claim to all those years ago.

He supposes the fact that Marluxia manages to wake each time, just in time, to take the notebook and pen away, set them aside and pull Vexen against his chest, whispering pretty little nothings into his ear should be something he's thankful for.

Thankfulness though…was not something he'd _ever _truly felt.

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**Review Please. **

Also, I forgot to mention last time, if you have any words for my one word prompts, give them to me please. I'd like to do one entirely from words suggested to me.


	13. Phasing

Ugh, I am not at all sure how I feel about this, but I figured I'd submit it anyway.

I will warn you all that while it IS 411, it begins with lots of mention of Marluxia/Larxene and brief moment of NOT-Marluxia/Namine...you'll see what I mean. So if you absolutely don't think you can take that, don't read!

If you do though, PLEASE REVIEW? D: This is something...different and I'd like to get feedback.

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Phasing

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Marluxia was beginning to worry.

As a Somebody he was a fierce and proud warrior and his lifestyle reflected the teachings handed down by the masters before him.

Sex was about release, about ridding oneself of distractions in combat, and while it was most certainly allowed to be enjoyable, it should always be easily separated from events outside of the bedroom.

He understood that. And yes, he enjoyed sex, he enjoyed it quite a lot in fact, but for his entire existence as a Somebody he'd never had trouble separating his sexual experiences from the rest of his life.

When he became a Nobody, however, everything changed.

He didn't notice it at first…getting used to a new existence took up most of his time at first, and by the time he'd done that Larxene had been ready and available.

She was much like all the others, the ones he'd enjoyed as a Somebody, small and soft and willing…feisty when need be, but she enjoyed playing the submissive if there was something in it for her in the end just as well.

She was perfect.

She wasn't right _at all_.

He couldn't understand it, and at first he chalked the shift up to a few bad days, stress lowering his libido. Larxene didn't seem too concerned. She no doubt had other bedmates in this place; even here, in Oblivion, with the majority of the other Organization members still in The World That Never Was.

Larxene had a mission soon after his dissatisfaction started and after weeks without her, he assumed he'd be over whatever this was. He disliked masturbation and he'd gone without sex for quite a while. It was good to see her again.

But the feeling persisted. It was a hollow, empty ache that began during the actual act itself and amplified as he came down from his post-climactic high. He decided to ignore it…didn't being a Nobody require such empty sensations? Perhaps the lack of sexual appetite came with the loss of emotion?

It got worse though. He began to drift between unable to rid himself of an erection, even after sex, to being unable to obtain one before hand.

She was getting bored with it, and he couldn't actually blame her. He'd been unable to…to rise to the occasion…multiple times and Larxene did not tolerate this sort of thing. She was a very sexual creature in her own right and Marluxia was simply not managing to bring himself up to her standards…literally.

It became a game to her, something to amuse her and pass the time and the stress caused by that certainly wasn't helping. He still wanted the sex of course…in fact the oddities surrounding it made him feel the need for it all the more, but it became less and less enjoyable despite him needing it almost obsessively…not what he was getting though, not the disappointing, forced ejaculations brought on by scratching nails and firm, rounded breasts pressed jarringly against his chest with each movement. Larxene was harsh despite her soft skin, cruel despite her heart shaped pixie face and…and it was just all wrong and he couldn't understand why.

He began to avoid her and she didn't bother trying to bring him back to her bed. It wasn't like her to concern herself with his mental state, his physical one was the only really interesting part of him to her, and if that wasn't in working order she was in no hurry to call him back.

He was getting desperate though, the fact that he was having a problem was amplifying his need. He knew his distraction was obvious and that he needed to get his head back into the game, into what he was doing. The three Elders kept themselves locked away in the basement, but even Vexen and Zexion seemed to be more willing to snap back and sneer at him than usual and of course Axel was taking every chance he got to use Marluxia's distant condition to do as he pleased.

He turned to the witch. It was late, he was drunk, and more than half-mad with pent up frustration by this point. He'd be mortified later, no matter how desperate he got, he had more honor than to fuck a child…but she was everything Larxene wasn't…truly soft and innocent and naive.

He came up behind her, sliding his hands beneath her armpits and across the barely formed mounds of her breasts, earning a soft, horrified mewl. She tensed but he ignored it, sliding his hands up her thighs and beneath the thin fabric of her dress, one hand moving to press against the girlish chest, the other sliding under the thin elastic band of her panties…white cotton, everything was white with this girl…to press against the smooth, pre-pubescent sex, his fingers splaying. She whimpered and shifted, her eyes squeezed shut and suddenly he realized that he was in fact touching a _child_. He backed away, eyes wide, too shocked to even attempt to be a gentleman and apologize…how he could pull that off after _that_…he stumbled away, feeling far away and floating, leaning against the wall to keep from sliding to the floor.

This was how Vexen found him. Had he not still been so badly shaken by what he'd almost done…Namine wouldn't have stopped him…the poor thing probably didn't know she could…he might have been ashamed by his frazzled appearance and less than stable mindset. Instead he remained quiet as Vexen lifted him up, wordlessly, and carried him to the basements, leaving him in his own bed until Marluxia woke a few hours later, his mind a bit clearer, but his body no more satisfied.

"Do you want to know what your problem is?" Vexen asked, looking up from a report he'd been writing.

Marluxia looked cautiously at him, rubbing at his temples and trying to adjust to the events that had just recently taken place.

"You think you know what my problem is?" He asked hoarsely, allowing himself to rest against the soft pillows…he'd always imagined Vexen would sleep on some hard, uncomfortable cot. Apparently the man had quite satisfactory taste in comfort.

"I do." Vexen said calmly. "Would you like me to tell you?"

"Please do." Marluxia said dryly, trying to sound as though this were an ordinary encounter, an ordinary conversation, and not mere hours after Vexen had saved him from a potentially disgraceful morning directly after he'd molested a small child.

"You won't give yourself what you need." Vexen said, shrugging one sharp shoulder. "You don't just need sex, but you won't allow yourself to have what you really want."

Marluxia's eyes narrowed. "And what is it that you think I need?" He asked harshly.

"Would you like me to show you?" Vexen asked quietly, almost sounding as if he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Without you telling me what I'm getting myself into? You take me for a fool…"

"You were acting like one when I found you." Vexen said blandly. "You are stronger than I am, we both know that. If you don't like what I do, you can easily stop me."

The admittance, more than the reality of it made Marluxia agree. Vexen was a proud, stubborn man…that he would admit to any sort of weakness; even a well known one was surprising. He nodded once, feeling oddly young and naïve as Vexen stood, unzipping his coat and setting it aside as he did.

"Would you like me to undress you?" He asked, walking over, just as cold and clinical now as always was. That…was not promising.

"I'll do it." Marluxia mumbled, feeling uncertain and not enjoying the sensation.

Vexen nodded patiently, undressing himself as he waited.

Marluxia dropped his clothes over the side of the bed, looking up as Vexen moved to sit beside him.

"I won't ask you to trust me." The older man said evenly. "Because neither of us will ever share something like trust. But I will ask you to give yourself the chance to experience this and know that it is not in my best interest to hurt you as you can quite easily do far more damage to me."

That was reason. That was logic, pure and simple, and he nodded once more, finding no hidden meanings in the statement.

He let Vexen touch him. Vexen who was neither soft, nor warm. Vexen who was all sharp angles and pointed features, with no womanly curves, underdeveloped or otherwise. He let Vexen touch him and he felt his body react almost instantly with such intensity that it would have been frightening had it not been such a relief to feel _right_ for once.

Vexen's fingers were cold but they left hot, smoldering trails with each touch across the trembling planes of his stomach and the tensed curve of his thighs. He was expecting a hand job, if he was lucky, a blow job though it had never occurred to him before now that Vexen would do something like that.

He was not expecting to feel the first finger to slip inside of him. He jerked, eyes he hadn't realized he'd shut flying open. Vexen had gotten some sort of lubrication from somewhere; it wasn't pain that startled him, more of the fact that for the first time in his existence someone was…was doing _that_.

"_This_ is what you think I need?" Marluxia growled, tensing up.

"This is what I _know_ you need." Vexen corrected, pushing the finger deeper and curling it with more talent than Marluxia would have originally given him credit for. Whatever he did, it was amazing, and Marluxia's vision clouded and sharpened simultaneously, making his world a confusing jumble of shape and color. Vexen relaxed his hand and the feeling stopped.

He was embarrassed to find himself having to bite back a whimper of displeasure.

"Are you willing to let me try then?" Vexen asked, and Marluxia had the feeling he only curbed his amusement so that Marluxia wouldn't be put off.

"Will it hurt?" He asked tensely, body still trembling unnaturally.

"It might at first." Vexen said honestly. "But what you just felt is nothing compared to what I can do for you."

Marluxia squeezed his eyes shut, feeling small and lost, and suddenly closer to feeling satisfied than he had in almost a year now. "Okay." He said; his tone clipped.

Vexen didn't waste any time after that, adding another well lubricated finger and then another, stretching and flexing them in all sorts of interesting ways that made Marluxia see stars and ribbons of light.

He'd never expected Vexen to be gentle, but the preparation really seemed to be just that…the entry as well wasn't as horrifying as he'd imagined whenever he'd given something like this a passing thought.

Vexen sighed. "If this is your first time doing this, I really should go slowly…but that's not what you need. I think you'll find tomorrow to be well worth it…you're already going to be hung-over, and I assure you, I have plenty of ice."

Marluxia blinked, not following what he was saying until Vexen was moving against him and it wasn't gentle anymore and for several suspended moments it _hurt_ but then Vexen was pressing against that spot again, with much more force and with something considerably bigger than his finger and Marluxia suddenly found himself completely unable to focus on anything but that, but the constant rhythmic motion of the other man against him and inside of him and…and it was finally, _finally right_.

Marluxia was not particularly loud when he had sex…screaming was for women and whores…he'd been taught so and he'd really never felt the need to make much noise anyway.

Now however, he found himself shrieking with reckless abandon, not caring, not realizing half the time…no one could hear anything in the basement anyway, and Vexen was far enough away from Lexaeus and Zexion that they wouldn't either…mainly because Vexen preferred not to hear _them_.

Marluxia could do as he pleased and the only witness would be the man who had more to lose from this information leaving the room than he did.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted, it was both an instant and an eternity at once and then suddenly he had ceased to exist completely, the world exploding into white, then crashing into black.

When he came back to his senses he'd been cleaned off and laid out among clean sheets, his legs propped up and a well wrapped ice pack set against his lower back.

Vexen was back at his desk, working on another paper.

He tilted his head to look at him, bone-achingly exhausted and completely rejuvenated all at once. Vexen was right…no matter how he felt in the morning, he was feeling _amazing_ right now.

"Are you going to come to bed?" He asked, finding himself too sated to even be ashamed at how his voice cracked, raw from screaming.

"Are you going to think something of it if I share a bed with you?" Vexen asked flatly, making a note on the page.

"No." He said, stretching his arms up over his head.

"Then yes, I will." Vexen said, setting the page aside and slipping back into the bed. He was still naked and Marluxia wondered dazedly why he'd ever found anything else even remotely appealing.

"Why did you do this?" He asked quietly as Vexen shut his eyes.

"Sex is rather nice, don't you think?" Vexen asked as though that should have been a suitable answer.

"How'd you know I needed this then?" Marluxia asked, determined for something substantial to take from this other than a sore backside.

"You were feeling up a small child, you were obviously not satisfied with your sex life." Vexen said, almost asleep and almost sarcastic.

Marluxia winced at that but he knew he deserved it…Namine wouldn't mention it…he'd buy her some new crayons and warn her against ever drinking, if she even lived long enough to do so.

But for now…

"Can we do this again?" he asked, realizing how much he was risking with that one question. He was admitting he wanted this, and he was putting himself in a position to be cruelly shot down.

"I imagine we'll have to. I can't have our dear Superior finding out that there was a way I could improve the mental health of our _Lord_ that I didn't follow through with." Vexen said sourly, and it was as close to an acknowledgment of mutual contentment as Vexen was going to give him. "Now please go to sleep. I'd think you would be tired."

He was tired, and Vexen was surprisingly warm even if they weren't quite touching, and for the first time in ages he felt fulfilled and content.

This wasn't…ideal…but then…not much in his existence was. Losing his heart wasn't ideal…having an entire life he could never go back to wasn't ideal…at least this way he was going to get some really good sex and he was certainly okay with that.

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	14. 411 Reviewer's Prompts

Well, here's the list of words entirely thought up by those of you reviewing who were kind enough to give them to me! There turned out to be exactly thirty-five in all, interestingly enough.

...well I found it interesting

Big thanks to **Drowning in Ice, Caoxyn, CocoPuff-Kitten, kakashi-kakadish, Bob Da Peach and Kiiwii-Seme** for donating words! I'd list who donated what words, but I don't want to take up too terribly much space with A/N...I fear it'll get longer than my actual drabbles one day. If you're curious to know, or were one of the donors and can't remember what you told me, feel free to ask, I do have who gave what saved.

**Remember, everyone else is also welcome and encourage to donate words**. Once I get enough from you all again I'd like to have more one-word prompts that are specifically all from you reviewers, though I'll of course get to doing ones that I find randomly as well. ^.^

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411 - Reviewer's Prompts

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**Siren** – As Marluxia went into the second stanza of what was apparently a song from his Somebody's homeland, Vexen mused over the mythology of the Greeks and the alluring voices of the creatures known as sirens. Some said they were hideous monsters while some said their appearance was as beautiful as their voices. Marluxia was certainly beautiful. Vexen wasn't sure if sirens were beautiful or monstrous, but he was sure of one thing…Marluxia could not sing _at all_.

**Survival** – Marluxia had, in both his existences, always been a master at his craft, able to survive against all odds, mainly due to his willingness to do whatever is needed to survive, without remorse. He found it a bit ironic, now that he wasn't supposed to have remorse, that he was pained over having to send Vexen to his death in order to continue surviving.

**Lacking** – Marluxia was a bit disturbed to find that at some point in time, Vexen and Lexaeus' Somebodies had decided to pass the time by having sex together. It really, _really_ didn't help that, when he confronted Vexen about this that night, the older man laughed, reached down between his legs and patted his flaccid penis in an almost sympathetic manner. The "don't worry, I still like you," that he called down to it before going to sleep didn't really help either.

**Fuzz** – Coming down to the lab and finding Marluxia cuddling a baby duckling (one of Vexen's soon to be test subjects) to his cheek was unexpected…apparently he liked the downy feel of its unformed feathers. It was somewhat adorable, but that didn't stop Vexen from making fun of him for the rest of the day and well into the night.

**Control** – Marluxia dominates all aspects of his own life…and Vexen's now that the man is working for him. All aspects but one. He tells himself he'd mind if Vexen weren't so very _good_ at fucking him senseless.

**Spoiled** – It disturbs Vexen that the Superior has left three of their original six in the hands of a…well a brat. No matter what his age or skill level, Marluxia is still a petulant child. Vexen tells himself that as long as Marluxia actually isn't a literal child, he can still justify sleeping with him despite this.

**Wrap** – Vexen dresses the wound on Marluxia's hand with a carefulness that the assassin wants to believe is just a bit more than practiced attention to his work.

**Tremor** – Vexen can't help but enjoy the way Marluxia trembles when he presses freezing fingertips to the bare, heated skin of his backside.

**Vanish** – Marluxia tells himself he doesn't care that they can't have any real emotions attached to their sexual…arrangement. He also tells himself he doesn't care that Vexen has never once been there when he wakes in the mornings.

**Addiction** – Marluxia is willing to do a frighteningly large amount of things for chocolate peppermint candies. Vexen has made good use of this knowledge.

**Lights – **The vines twisting and curling around the lights in Marluxia's greenhouse give the entire room a hazy, green glow that reflects off of the scientist's pale skin, making him look like some sort of otherworldly deity. Marluxia finds himself paying more attention to the way Vexen's throat moves as he speaks than to what the man is saying.

**Plutonium** – Sometimes Marluxia likes to come and watch Vexen work in his labs; some of his experiments are organic enough to gain his interest. There are some materials; however, that Marluxia will have nothing to do with. Sometimes Vexen sets them out just to have a few hours to himself.

**Debt **– Marluxia runs his fingers through Vexen's hair as the older man sleeps and decides that having him here is worth what he'd been made to do for Xemnas in order to have him brought here.

**Music **– Marluxia can faintly hear Larxene playing music down the hall. He waves a hand lazy and sends a particularly angry and nettled vine down the hall to kindly tell her to shut it the hell off. From across the room, he sees the faintest hint of a smile cross Vexen's lips as the older man turns a page of his book.

**Tea **– Vexen supposes he should have known it was only a matter of time before Marluxia would replace his usual coffee with tea. It would be somewhat…nice to know that Marluxia cares for his health if not for the fact that…well…Vexen wants his coffee back.

**Balcony** – Xemnas is content to spend his days hanging over his Balcony, professing potentially half crazed declarations to Kingdom Hearts. Marluxia decides that once he's Superior, that balcony will be the first thing to go…after he bends Vexen over the side of it, just for the principle of it all, really.

**Fish** – Vexen watches with detached boredom as Marluxia retches for the third time that night and suggests that perhaps the fish wasn't properly cooked after all and…had Marluxia not been so stubborn in insisting that it was, perhaps he wouldn't be so sick…he supposes he deserves being sprayed with vomit as Marluxia turns to argue with him and throws up again at the same time. That doesn't mean he likes it though.

**Mop** – Lord of Castle Oblivion or no, if Marluxia is going to break things in Vexen's lab, Marluxia is going to clean the mess up.

**Tiger** – Lexaeus carries the crate down to the labs, dropping it down for Vexen to open and use as he will for his experiments. The blonde peers into the crate and freezes…metaphorically…staring into dangerous, predatory eyes and he's suddenly so violently reminded of Marluxia that he has to leave the room. When Lexaeus comes back later, the big cat is still locked up in the crate and Vexen is nowhere to be found.

**Cord** – The material is a deep maroon, velvety to the touch and soft and gentle despite its firm pull against his wrists. Vexen appreciates Marluxia choosing something that wouldn't leave bruises on his already thin and fragile wrists, but he can't help but wish he'd left off on the idea of tying him up altogether…he'd proven that he was more than willing to have sex without them…hadn't he?

**Butterscotch** – Vexen's tongue is surprisingly flexible and capable of making twists and turns that Marluxia had no idea he could manage…now all the assassin has to do is to figure out how to replace the candy in Vexen's mouth with something quite different.

**Thank you** – The words are barely audible, and Vexen's voice is hoarse and thick from sleep…but as Marluxia hands over his morning coffee to the still half-sleeping blonde, he just knows that he's heard correctly and he can't help but smile in immediate response.

**Merge** – Vexen isn't sure how, in the process of combining his old equipment from Never Was, with the provided equipment in Oblivion, Marluxia ended up showing up naked on an examination table…but he decides that he might as well not waste a nice surprise.

**Boutique** – On the rare occasion that they actually leave Oblivion, Marluxia likes to whisk Vexen off in private and splurge on silly nonsense things the scientist would never buy himself, but needs, in Marluxia's opinion, to be pampered with. That and the little shops usually have secluded areas behind them all that are perfect for a quick grope before heading to the next one.

**Vintage** – Marluxia lets the antique pocket watch swing lazily back and forth in front of Vexen's face, knowing it won't hypnotize him, and not really caring. He's bored and sated and half asleep anyway and it just seems to fit the moment. When he's more coherent he'll ask Vexen what he's doing keeping some of Even's old trinkets anyway.

**Snacks** – Vexen is surprised to find that someone as fit and healthy as Marluxia (minus the not having a heart of course) lives on an almost consistent diet of potato chips and pre-packaged cakes when he's locked away for days on end, managing the paperwork that apparently comes with running Oblivion. Actually, Vexen is more surprised to find that there is paperwork.

**Orwellian** – Vexen fears Xemnas and has to admit he wouldn't mind if he weren't in charge…but he can't help but fear what life would be like under Marluxia's rule as well.

**Top Hat** – It's not what Marluxia has on his head so much as what he doesn't have on anywhere else that Vexen is looking at.

**Aphrodite** – Zexion spoke once of a mission to a world where gods ruled over all the aspects of human life. While there he apparently met a goddess who ruled over love with a son who could force people to fall in love. Zexion laughed bitterly at how utterly useless either of them would have been to Nobodies and the other Elders shook their heads in agreement, but Marluxia didn't miss the half-second glance that Vexen sent his way. Would a god be strong enough to overrule a Nobody's inability to love with their power? It didn't matter now of course. They'd never ventured to the world, or even discussed it and Vexen was gone now…but Marluxia still wondered.

**Balloon** – Marluxia doesn't know how exactly Larxene managed to shove the end of a balloon into his mouth and pop it, much less force him to swallow the gas escaping it, but now he sounds similar to the Mouse King when he speaks and Vexen won't stop laughing, much less take him seriously enough to have sex.

**Spoon** – The subject of childhood games came up one lazy afternoon when Marluxia was slacking off and allowing Vexen to do the same in order to sleep with him. Vexen mentioned something involving balancing a spoon on one's nose and walking with it. One thing lead to another and Marluxia supposed he really should have known better than to expect that pictures of him trying to balance a spoon head on his erect penis wouldn't circulate around the Castle. What he really wanted to know was when Vexen found the time to take them.

**Wired** – Marluxia finds himself tossing and turning miserably in the wee hours of the morning, wide awake and desperate for sleep. He's made the decision that Vexen is going to have to die and he tells himself he's alright with it, but his mind hasn't stopped racing since he announced it officially to himself that afternoon, bombarding him with every memory he has of the other man.

**Fairytales** – Marluxia may be charming and princely but he's far from being pure, honest or goodhearted (or hearted at all really) enough to be a storybook prince. And no matter what can be said about Vexen's long blonde hair or effeminate figure, the older man is no princess or damsel in distress. Still, if he's going to compare them to things make believe, Marluxia supposes he might as well pretend that Vexen is feeling something as he's kissing him now. He's given up on pretending he doesn't after all.

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	15. Speculation

More from Vexen's point of view with Marluxia bottoming...because I should try and write more of that...if nothing else, Vexen's point of view, Marluxia's head is fun to get into...but so is Vexen's.

This is a particularly drabble-y one too by the way, barely holding onto a theme/point.

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Speculations

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Not much was known about the lives of the neophytes' Somebodies…the lives of the Elder's Somebodies had all ended up so intertwined there wasn't much they didn't know about each other, but for various reasons…usually a lack of caring…not much had been found out about their newer members.

It was suspected that Xemnas knew almost everything about Saix, but then…a lot was expected about Xemas and Saix, more than Vexen really cared to go into. He didn't even want to know the details behind the things he knew without a doubt were happening, such as Zexion's almost childlike (creepily enough, considering what it was they _did_) attachment to Lexaeus, or how faithfully Number Eight followed around after their youngest member. He actually preferred to know as little as possible about anyone these days, despite his naturally inquisitive nature. Knowing things often lead to disappointment, or even put oneself into dangerous situations…like the one he found himself in with Number Eleven.

Marluxia was a particularly vexing creature…and how he hated that particular description, mainly due to Xigbar's amusement at calling him 'vexing Vexen' but he couldn't really think of anything else to call Marluxia. He was most always arrogant and detached, quite obviously thinking himself better than the others, no matter what his status in the Organization actually was. He had a somewhat cruel nature, though it was nothing compared to Larxene's outwardly wicked one. He was a gentleman, of all things, elegant and refined even if and as he was forced to take lives and ruin lives in the process. He was disdainful of anything that was not something he considered vital or important, and this included much of Vexen's work and the majority of the older man's habits and mannerisms…Vexen ate too quickly and too infrequently, Vexen stayed up too late, Vexen had bad posture, Vexen complained too much, Vexen seriously needed to get his libido in sync with Marluxia's…

…and that was what it came down to, wasn't it? The relationship that had been built, sadly enough, not on any phantom memories of devotion or companion ship like so many of the others had to justify their favoritism of others in the Organization, but for the baser, primal need for release, that was, interestingly enough not a memory at all and still very necessary, perhaps even more so now that there was so much else they couldn't feel.

Marluxia was, for the most part, a narcissistic, hedonistic, overgrown child who'd only been saved from his own self-loving, self pleasuring nature by the warrior's code he'd somehow been forced into in his earlier life, giving him some semblance of order and self-restraint…and he was remarkably self-restrained as it turned out. Had he been able to have his own way he'd have probably lived like a prince, living on fine foods and exotic company while having his every whim catered to…he'd simply laughed when Vexen had informed him of this, asking if there was anyone who wouldn't…Vexen had tartly replied that _he_ wouldn't. He just wanted to be left alone so he could explore the scientific field. Marluxia had just smiled and shook his head at that, tapping Vexen's nose while correcting him…the only company he wanted, he promised, was Vexen. It had been Vexen's turn to laugh at that…such blatant and earnest lies Marluxia told when he was feeling sated and at ease.

Still, Vexen found he actually preferred the overbearing, intrusive and self-assuming nature to Marluxia's other…moods. Because as a Nobody he disliked change and that was Marluxia's most common state of being. He was also occasionally irrationally angry, but that Vexen found he could tolerate as well, it made sense to him. Marluxia had probably been forced into whatever lifestyle made him such a good assassin later in life, meaning he'd already grown used to a life of luxury in his early years. Being molded awkwardly into a strict lifestyle afterward would force him to choke back and restrain his feelings, causing for bursts of anger or sadness at times…now that he had no feelings, anger still remained.

What didn't make sense to Vexen was the way he was acting now. It was a rare occurrence, but one that could be detected early on. This mood usually began early in their…meetings. Marluxia liked sex and he liked everything that went with it…the tugging and clawing and noise making included…but in times like this, his movements changed. He clung more than he clawed and he choked back sounds that could have been his normally exuberant shouts, or could have been…less appealingly, small sobs or gasps. By that point Vexen knew it was coming, but wasn't sure what to do about it. He never was…getting up and leaving had never been an option, Marluxia was more unstable than ever in times like these, he was quite honestly afraid he'd be hurt for trying to. Marluxia almost seemed distressed by the end of it, but he'd always managed to at least reach his climax before it really began. Once he'd caught his breath, he'd slide out of the bed and stumble off to the bathroom to vomit in the sink…Vexen wasn't sure if this was an odd quirk to the ritual or if he just never made it to the toilet, and then he'd sink to the floor, curled around himself, completely silent.

Vexen usually gave him a few minutes…he'd learned that going immediately after him sent him into inexplicable hysterics…before going and guiding him back to the bed where Marluxia would cling with impressive strength and a near mad desperation to him, his head tucked firmly under Vexen's chin.

He wouldn't speak or make a sound and after a while he'd softly kiss Vexen's throat and drift off to sleep.

For the life (or perhaps non-life) of him, Vexen couldn't figure out an explanation for this. He supposed Marluxia could have been abused at some point in his life, which could also explain his need to be taken during sex, though he could also just prefer it with no real reason…but abuse that caused this sort of reaction would probably effect more of his actions in daily life…this odd behavior was quite rare, Vexen often managed to forget it for months at a time before it would resurface and Marluxia would revert from their princely leader to an insecure, scarred young man. The entire thing would pass by morning and Vexen suspected he might not even realize it happened.

That was truly worrisome.

Vexen didn't care to know much about the neophytes, and his relationship with Marluxia really wasn't all that complex, and didn't really warrant him delving into what could cause something that rarely happened…but in moments like this, as Marluxia pressed slightly trembling lips to his throat before shifting into a more comfortable position to sleep, Vexen found himself almost wanting to, perhaps just for the sake of pure, scientific curiosity…or perhaps for some sort of misplaced, distant memory of what it felt like to want to comfort someone dear to you.

A _very_ misplaced, distant memory, mind you.

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AND AS ALWAYS, **GIVE ME WORDS FOR PROMPTS **:)


	16. Something Like That

Another little drabble for you all...not much more to say about this one except...don't assume it's as cavity-inducing fluff as it seems?

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Could Have Been

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"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?" Marluxia asked; his tone almost lazy in its contentment.

Vexen was silent, knowing by now that if he only waited a moment, Marluxia would actually make some sense of the questions he pulled from the middle of his inner musings.

"If we'd met before all of this," Marluxia continued, "before we became Nobodies."

Vexen turned the page of his book, ignoring the man sprawled across his chest for a few more seconds before speaking. "No, I actually had not." Perhaps Marluxia would be quiet and get some sleep now; Vexen had given him more than enough reason to be tired at this point.

Marluxia stretched tugging at a lock of Vexen's hair and not seeming to mind that he was being used as a prop for Vexen's book. "I have." He said softly. "I imagine you'd have hated me."

"Well that's…completely original." Vexen sneered, tucking his hair behind his ear so that Marluxia would leave it alone.

"But then I think I'd have won you over." Marluxia continued. "You don't absolutely loathe me now and all."

"That's entirely debatable." Vexen said mildly.

"Well you just managed to toss us both on the floor a few minutes ago, so if nothing else you like the sex…" Marluxia said, grinning at the slightly annoyed expression on Vexen's face.

"My tolerance of you is due largely in part to my inability to feel." Vexen said coldly.

"I disagree. But that isn't the point. I'm still talking." Marluxia said, pulling Vexen's hair back to where he could toy with it.

"I think I'd win you over, like I said, and you'd be grudging at first, because you're just like that, but after a while you'd realize that I'm really the best thing ever-" Vexen snorted at this and Marluxia flicked the end of his nose to get him to pay attention, "and you'd probably love me."

Vexen raised an eyebrow at that, rubbing his nose, more for show than because it had been hurt.

"And you'd probably be a brilliant scientist, right?" Marluxia continued.

"So I'm not already?" Vexen asked and Marluxia felt the corners of the book dig into his back. "Of course you are." Marluxia said easily, "but that would probably be your profession, free of the Organization and what not. I'd convince you to live with me, and we'd have a splendid house where we could fight and scream and fuck all we wanted with no one to bother us, we could have breakfast naked, and get some kind of pet, a cat probably, I don't like dogs, maybe something exotic, like a jaguar, oh, or a snow leopard for you…if you're rich enough you can own whatever you want, and we would be of course…and I'd take you all over the world, the multi-verse even maybe, all the places you won't let yourself go because of your experiments…mm, I can see screwing in the middle of the ocean, or maybe in a snow drift if you'd want somewhere cold…and then sometimes we'd just stay home, drinking tea and watching movies under a big blanket..."

Vexen was staring at him, looking a bit horrified at how…sappy he sounded.

"Holidays would be nice too. I'd dress in something sexy for you for Halloween since you're too much of a prude to…or maybe you could be convinced…I'd buy you decent clothes for Christmas because if it were up to you, you'd just throw any old thing on…we'd decorate a tree and I'd grow poinsettias…can you imagine grocery shopping? I bet we'd argue over everything…"

"Do you want to have sex again?" Vexen interrupted, looking evenly down at him.

"Yes." Marluxia said simply.

"That would shut you up?"

"It would." Marluxia said, grinning and pulling the book from Vexen's hands.

"Thank Darkness. You sound like a complete idiot." Vexen grumbled, tossing the blanket away and pushing Marluxia down onto the bed.

"Of course." Marluxia said; his lips quirking into a pleased smirk as Vexen's mouth descended to his chest. He'd been wondering how long that would take…

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Remember, **keep giving me words!**

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REVIEW PLEASE!**


	17. 411 Reviewer's Prompts Part Two

Sorry for the delay in updating this .__.

I stared my fall semester and then I got really sick for a good portion of that which meant I ended up in a really frustrating make-up game to keep myself in my classes and running a fever at the same time.

But I haven't given up on this and I figured I'd go ahead and share my next set of prompts from all of you. There are twenty-five this -six suggestions, but I'm saving one to turn into a longer drabble.

I got more than one phobia suggested to me this go-round, which delighted me because I hadn't known one of them and I always love learning new phobia names. (Odd? Maybe…) But only one is used here because I actually had an idea for pagophobia that made me want to turn it into a drabble. Thanks so much for that suggestion, **Caoxyn**!

Also thanks to **Light Within Darkness, moe, Buka2000, CocoPuff-Kitten, Bob Da Peach** and **OnlyInThisLight** for all of these words.

There's also a reference to _Finding Nemo_ in the very first one because...well it's Disney and it worked.

Since I want all of my drabble/prompts to be understandable, some of the less common suggestions are defined, for you convenience, below this. (pretty much copied from the reviews ^-^)

Oneirogmophobia (Fear of wet dreams)

Pulchritudinous (having extreme physical beauty)

Omnisexual (someone who will have sex with anything/one)

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411 Reviewer's Prompts Part Two

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**Squishy** – Every time Marluxia presses his finger down onto the jellyfish's head, it bounces right back up. Vexen is almost amused by his childlike delight with the soon to be test subject, but after a while it just becomes a bit sad…he doesn't like to feel like he's sleeping with someone with the mental ability of _Dory_.

**Point** – Marluxia runs his tongue carefully over the sharp edge of ice that has formed at the end of Vexen's finger, feeling the tip melt and round out as he did.

**Yin-Yang** – Vexen likes to wish that he and Marluxia are like the two different sides of the little pendant he holds in his hand; vastly different but still compatible. He knows he's not that fortunate though. They aren't really all that compatible at all…and they are sadly similar, if for different motives.

**Grass** – Vexen doesn't explain the green streaks smeared across the normally immaculate leather of his coat and the other two inhabitants of the basement don't ask. Marluxia was probably somehow involved and they really don't want to know anything more.

**Wings** – Watching Vexen pin down the brightly colored butterfly, Marluxia mentally compares the scientist to the delicate insect and looks forward to pinning him down in a similar fashion at a later time. Admittedly, he plans on being far less gentle. Vexen is not made of butterfly wings and, despite what his appearance may suggest, he will not break.

**Donut** – It is possible, Vexen intones, that Marluxia might want to remove the jam from his chin before meeting with the Superior. In the future, he might also want to pick a less messy breakfast meal.

**Sword** – The decorative blade is sharp and lethal, pressed flat against Vexen's pale throat. It's also cold and smooth and almost soothing to the taller man and he shuts his eyes, unconcerned despite their position. Marluxia won't hurt him with it and he knows it. With a sigh of disappointment, Marluxia pulls away, determined to find something that Vexen actually _will_ fear.

**Young **– Marluxia is incredibly intelligent, but at times he is severally lacking in life experiences. It makes him seem less competent and it makes Vexen feel old.

**Pianist** – Vexen's fingers are long, pale, and slender, and they fly across the equally pale keys with a grace that Marluxia hadn't realized he possessed. He wants, quite suddenly, to feel those fingers repeating those same motions across his skin rather than the unappreciative keys.

**Marco-Polo** – Marluxia is swift and agile, an assassin in all thing and Vexen really wasn't looking forward to the game, even as Marluxia insisted they play. After being shoved beneath the water multiple times (in what Marluxia most likely thought was a sexual manner…it just left bruises), Vexen replied with a tired "polo" and a sudden drop in temperature, freezing Marluxia from the waist up in the suddenly solid water as he stepped out.

**Fetch** – Marluxia's command is lazy and teasing as he tosses Vexen's folder across the room. Really, Vexen asks, does Marluxia honestly think of him as a dog? Especially considering all they've done?

**Pulchritudinous** – Vexen supposes Marluxia does have reason to be full of himself…in some aspects. He's not as smart as he thinks he is, or as competent or charismatic…but he is very, very nice to look at.

**Masquerade** – Their entire relationship is built upon a precarious mesh of deceit and secrets and, while they'd both claimed not to care, Marluxia sometimes wonders if he'd actually be content if they were to peel away all of the layers keeping them from actually knowing each other at all. Would he still want Vexen with the same fierce intensity? Would Vexen still find him as captivating? It's pathetic; he decides angrily, that he'd rather live with the comfort of dishonesty than to brave facing what they actually are.

**Crab Cakes** – When Marluxia actually brought the animals in, Vexen was highly skeptical as to how the hateful things were ever going to end up edible. Marluxia laughed at that, assuring him that he'd thought the same thing of Vexen when they'd first met. Vexen felt that his anger would have been more justified if the finished product hadn't ended up delicious.

**Omnisexual** – There are many things Vexen doesn't ask Marluxia. Sometimes because he doesn't feel he should and sometimes because he really doesn't want to know. This time falls into the latter category. He does make a mental note to lock everything that wasn't bolted down to the floor up in his lab before going to bed though. He couldn't have anything getting contaminated.

**Masks** – Namine's idea to decorate the delicate white-paper masks seemed frivolous and pointless to Marluxia, but he let her…what else did she have to do? Later though, upon finding Vexen being presented with one that was blue, green, and almost frosted in appearance, Marluxia couldn't help but think that he'd like to see him actually put it on.

**Ambiguous** – Vexen stands up from the table and announces that he's going to bed. Marluxia has trouble deciding if the look he gives him means that Marluxia should join him or that he does not, under any circumstances, want Marluxia there at all. Luckily that doesn't really matter all that much.

**Melancholy** – No one sulks quite like Marluxia. He has self righteous brooding down to an art. His dramatics are amusing for a while, but eventually Vexen stalks over and presses a rough kiss to his mouth because it really has been too long since he'd seen that stupid, half smile tug at Marluxia's face.

**Relocation** – Marluxia wakes to find that Vexen has moved himself from the bed to the desk across the room and is doing some sort of paperwork. Still naked. This really will not do.

**Oneirogmophobia** – Marluxia doesn't ever bother to tell Vexen why it is so very important for him to be completely sated before they sleep each night so Vexen is left to his own speculations.

**Art** – Marluxia can't help but think of Vexen's sleeping form as an exquisite, curving sculpture; all pale marble and ice. It's worthy of a grand display but he's not so secretly pleased that he's the only one who gets to see it.

**Formality** – There are certain things, Marluxia instructs Larxene, that you really have to do to seem civil, even if everyone knows you don't care. Things such as nodding politely to the Superior, holding open a door for someone who'd have been through it on time if they'd been paying attention, or telling Vexen hello before you stuck your hand down his pants. Larxene requests that he repeat that last part, but Marluxia's suddenly lost the desire to lecture any longer.

**Ostium** – When Vexen told Marluxia he had a very talented tongue, he'd been talking about his ability to lie to someone's face. Looking back, he can't say that he's all that upset that he took it in an entirely different direction. Looking back at the moment though might be a bit difficult, considering their position.

**Expectations** – Marluxia assumes that Vexen will show proper respect to his better (if not Elder) and will refrain from causing unnecessary headaches in Marluxia's already demanding job. Vexen assumes that Marluxia will recognize and respect his obviously more advanced intellect and will stay out of his way, for the most part, despite being forced to coexist. For two such intelligent, able minds to be so very wrong is almost comical.

**Stress** – Vexen pats his shoulder and tells him that he's sure that lording over them all is no doubt very difficult and it's alright, it happens to everyone now and again. Marluxia would be more inclined to believe him and get some sleep (as opposed to glaring between his legs at the unsatisfactory appendage that just refuses to cooperate) if he weren't so damn condescending.

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**I had fun with these, as always and please please send me more!**

**And review please!**


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